RISE: Return In Shadowed Evenings
by yesiamweird
Summary: "So whats with you and Blake? You guys aren't dating? You would think if you lived with a guy for 10 years you would have at least slept with him or something." I smirked, "We've been roommates for 8 years, not 10. And I never said I hadn't slept with him, now did I?" - With this new threat rising up, I might admit my feelings...but I doubt it. (Blake&OC)
1. Chapter 1

**Ta Da! So I knew this story was coming the moment I saw John Blake's character in a movie pilot article before the movie came out. I litterally began to think of this character alongside of him after the second time I saw him on screen! I have always been a HUGE batman fan, despite my lack of making a story about him. Bruce Wayne (for me) has never been a character I would romantically be involved with or you could say none of the Bruce Wanye's have ever caught my attention. **

**However, I have always related to the young boy/teen that follows batman around and I know that Blake wasn't dressing up in costume but if you saw the movie you know that he does everything just like ROBIN would do!**

**Not to worry for those of you that follow my other stories, I will keep updating those as well! So onto the story!**

* * *

**_Oh and if you haven't seen this movie, then you are in for some spoliers. Just saying. Don't blow up on me when I mention something and you haven't seen the movie yet. *Shrugs*_**

* * *

I didn't choose for this to happen to me.

Any of it.

If I was given the choice I would have changed my fate from the day I was born. The day I was given up.

Despite everything I did to try to change my fate, somehow it never got better. Day after day, visit after visit. Surrogate parents looked beyond the underweight, very unhealthy and consistently crying baby girl. As I grew, my luck never changed. No one wanted to take home a pimply, awkwardly skinny, hot-headed adoptive daughter.

Parents stopped coming to the orphanage the day he showed up in Gotham. Who the heck wanted to adopt a kid when this crazy maniac was on the loose? I decided I was leaving as well. Well…I had a little bit of help in my persuasion.

The day I decided to leave I remember walking into the room slowly not sure what to think when no one welcomed me through the entrance door. The living room just on the left had the boxed TV turned on loud forcing my feet to walk to the direction. Time seemed to stand still in that moment as I watched everyone circled around it. And I mean e_veryone_. The owner, the cooks, the seasonal interns, my fellow friends and I all watched in horror at the television. Despite the depressed tension clouding the small room, I secretly devised a plan now knowing how I could change my fate.

Yesterday, Harvey Dent admitted to being the Batman. Yesterday, the Joker was captured. Yesterday, the police were going to fix the damage caused. And yesterday, everything was assured that it was fine.

Now, it was a whole different story. Gotham was under _his_ control once again.

I turned behind my back running up the stairs frantically as if the Joker were down at the bottom. I had never seen him in person, only on the news. The white makeup and darkened black eyes, along with that bright red smile that seemed too long to be human. He terrified me. The thought of him at the bottom of the steps actually caused me to trip cutting my hand on the broken rail, but I just continued only running faster up until I reached the cracked faded pink door. I packed anything that would fit in my black winter coat with the deep and multiple pockets.

I was leaving.

No matter what the owner of the orphanage said. No one cared about me. To the rest of Gotham, I was a nobody, an orphan with no future.

Then I climbed. I don't remember how long, but I was terrified that he was still behind me, closing in on my tail from the bottom of the steps. Using all of my strength in my scrawny arms, I pulled myself up the brick wall until I reached the roof not even caring about burn of the torn flesh on my hand or the tickle of blood trickling down my wrist.

I looked out into the bay area for a moment taking in the sight breeze. The calm before the storm, I supposed.

Freedom.

I was finally free and with 50 smuggled dollars of cash tucked in my pocket, I could by a ferry boat ticket and get the hell out of the city. It was my only option. No one would question me. They would be too busy with the threat of the city at the moment to care why my parents weren't with me. The plan was perfect.

* * *

The only spot open on the overcrowded ferry boat was next to a young man sitting down against the side of the boat. Just my luck, I thought rolling my eyes and then quickly taking the spot before anyone else had a chance. I could see out of the corner of my eyes the boy looking over at me once, and then twice, and then a third time looking above my head towards the outskirts of the people on board.

"Are you alone?"

I looked to the voice. It was warm almost as warm as the engine rumbling against my back. I only nodded brushing a blonde strand of hair from out of my face and facing my head forward not even daring to look at him again.

"It's okay. Me too."

I turned my head, sharply at first and continued to cross my eyebrows as I looked into his face. He had to have been about my age, with brown eyes, black hair and square jaw. I also noticed his ears, they seemed to stick out ever so slightly and I couldn't contain my small smile as I nodded again. "Cool." Then I remember thinking that wasn't exactly the right word to say at that moment.

"What's your name?" He asked me making me nervous. His conversation wasn't exactly something I was used too, even if he did just only ask for my name. My lips opened to respond, but the sound wouldn't come out. "Heh, did you forget?" I only shook my head 'no' still not even uttering a word. "Well, can you not talk?"

My lips closed as my brows crossed even further towards the start of my eyes. "I can talk just fine, thanks." My head turned back to the front now focusing my attention to a rusty white beam in the middle of the boat.

"Sorry." He huffed resting his head on the metal wall behind us. "Well, so what are you doing here without your family, or will you not tell me that either?"

"I don't have a family." With a glance of my eyes, I looked to his figure and then looked back at the beam. "What about you?"

He quickly sat up turning his head to face my own, "I'm the same…" He chuckled in disbelief almost and for a moment I found myself staring back into his eyes with a look as if he had just lied to me. "How-" He sighed, the look on his face read confusion. "How did you get on the boat?"

I smirked not allowing to let my teeth to show, "No one's worried about why a girl is running out of town without her parents beside her. I just hoped across the line and followed the crowd."

The boy nodded with a smile. His eyes almost seemed to smile as well. "Me too. I did the same…"

We continued to stare at each other for a moment until I couldn't contain the pressure. Closing my eyes I smiled, this time revealing my somewhat straightened but two overgrown front two teeth. "This is weird," I opened my eyes only to see that we were in darkness.

The lights flickered on and off for a couple of seconds and then continued to stay on. The rumble of the engine stopped, the warmth of my back now beginning chill making me pull on the collar of jacket closer onto my neck. "We've stopped?" I looked to the boy who only nodded back.

And then we heard it. That voice I had only heard on the TV. Now, as I sat on this boat his voice was running through the speakers. "Tonight you're all gonna be part of a social experiment." My eyes bulged only for a second and then I closed them attempting to steady my breathing.

"Through the magic of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate, I'm ready right now to blow you all sky high. Anyone attempts to get off their boat, you all die. Each of you has a remote... to blow up the other boat. At midnight, I blow you all up. If, however, one of you presses the button, I'll let that boat live."

My luck just couldn't get any better. The one time I attempted to take control of my fate and now I was going to be blown to bits.

"So, who's it going to be: Harvey Dent's most wanted scumbag collection, or the sweet and innocent civilians? You choose... oh, and you might want to decide quickly, because the people on the other boat might not be quite. So. Noble." The microphone squeaked for a moment and then clicked indicating the end of the conversations.

I can't remember much of the fifteen minutes we had to decide before both ships were going to be blown up, but what I do remember was all of the yelling and the arguing of the passengers that wanted nothing more in their greedy little lives then to continue living.

Someone offered to take a count of the vote. And then someone proceeded to hand me a pen and a small piece of torn paper. I handed it to the boy next to me and he only smiled, as a reassurance, I assumed.

While the count was totaled quickly I felt a nudge at my side. It was him. The nameless and proving to be annoying boy with the big ears. "Don't worry, Batman will save us." His smile was proud, no doubt he was a boy who only wished and dreamed of being alongside of the masked rodent man.

"Batman?" I scoffed with a glare.

"What? You don't believe in him?" The boy asked his face quickly changed to sneer at my own. "He's out there. Protecting us. He'll save us, don't worry."

"I'm not." My voice was a slight whisper, "I've never been afraid to die."

"And why's that?"

With the roll of my eyes, I debated whether or not to reveal the truth about my hatred for my life. I inhaled deeply allowing the passengers to bicker over the tally of the count we had just all voted for. "I would say you wouldn't understand," I began, "But considering you're the same, I bet you know just as much as I do. It's a lot harder to move on and stop being an angry kid than they say, huh?"

He nodded and we looked to the man with the score of the tally, "160 against, 306 for…" he responded worried.

"So, what did you vote for?" The boy looked to me.

I turned to him and smiled. "You first."

"I voted: No."

I nodded, "No. After all…" we both smiled at one another, "Batman will save us."

A man in the crowd offered to blow up the other boat and we all watched in silence as he took the detonator in his hands ready to twist the key on the side of the remote. There was doubt in his face. The sweat glistening on his forehead and cheeks could reveal his nerves for that matter. But no matter what type of tough guy talk he boasted, I could tell he just didn't have the heart to do it. And I'm glad he didn't…I don't think you can live something like that down in the future. He placed the remote back into the box and took his seat on the bench in the middle without another word.

We had one minute left. 60 seconds. Have you ever had to sit in a corner with a stranger on your side and wonder how the other side would feel? To me it was painful in the fact that I still hadn't even known who this kid was.

"You wanna know something?" The boy smiled resting his head on the back wall. I only nodded back, "He's like us. You and me."

My brows crossed once again as I shook my head, "Who?"

"Him. The dark knight."

My frown turned into a smile as I too, rested my head on the metal wall of the boat. "Oh really? Is he one of your friends? Are you going to be his sidekick?"

The boy shook his head, "You don't believe me."

"Nope." I smiled revealing my awkward teeth I so often became self-conscious of. "Fifteen seconds…" I looked to the clock wrapping my arms around my legs. Just my luck. Just my luck…

"I met him. One day at the orphanage. Of course, he didn't come in costume."

I didn't say another word. I close my eye as the last few seconds of my life ticked away in my head. 5…4…3…2…1…0…0?

Nothing. As I opened my eyes, I couldn't resist the urge to see what type of face the boy next to me had. It was a smile. An honest and proud one at that too. "Told ya."

The rest of the trip across the river is nothing but a blur. The boy and I didn't speak until the ferry docked and even then as we walked across the bridge together with no one else by our sides. There was a mutual silent agreement to not utter a word to one another as I followed him, or he followed me. I'm not really quite sure who was in the lead of our walk, but eventually we sat on a bridge together. Side by side watching the red and blue lights flashing in the distance.

"My name is John by the way. You never asked."

I nodded continuing to watch the lights flashing in my sight.

"What's yours?"

"Maggie." I remember placing my hands in my pockets and then standing up to walk down the road. I had 50 dollars in my pocket, so I figured I could make it by for a little while until I could find a job. Then again, I was always good a pick-pocketing, I could use those skills to get me on a bus and out of the state.

...

"I never saw him again."

...

I sighed looking into my customers face. The older man looked concerned as I finished my story. He started the conversation in the first place so I couldn't imagine why he was looking so frantic as I handed him his designer clothes in the paper bag he'd just bought. "I hope you have fared better than me." I smiled.

The man nodded coughing slightly. "I just wish I never would have stood up. I should have known better."

"Believe in the Bat." I leaned my elbows on the counter of the register. This man was the last customer, so I wouldn't get in trouble for being casual since I was the one to close the shop. "Yea well, I would have, if he hadn't-"

"I know… I know." I nodded crossing my fingers together. "I just can't believe it'll be 5 years since that day…"

"Hard to believe." The man smiled.

The man in front of me had been the same man five years ago that had sworn to blow up the other ship. I had learned his name was Daniel. He was an accountant with a wife and three kids. One married, one in college and another just graduated from college.

I didn't start the conversation, instead he had mentioned by the sign on the register promoting 'Harvey Dent Day' that he was on the ferry boat the night Dent had been murdered. I only added my side of the story so that he knew he wasn't the only one. He needed to talk about the experience and so she allowed him to apologize and beg for forgiveness of his actions. I only agreed. After all, he had just bought a $1,479.95 custom tailored suit.

"You have a good night sir," I nodded as he walked from the counter towards the door. "And as always come back again soon."

* * *

My heels clacked against the tile of the hallway as I dug through my purse looking for the key-ring containing the golden brass key that fit only into the lock of my apartment. #2312, 2 bedroom and 2.5 bathroom, complete with a kitchen and a small living room. "There you are…" I muttered to myself pulling the ring out and placing it into the hole.

An echo in the distance caused me to turn my focus to the shadow about to turn the corner down the hallway. "Damn." I muttered jiggling the stuck key and then quickly threw myself into the room.

"Hey baby! Don't ya-!"

The door was shut and most importantly locked. Ever since that neighbor moved in down the hall a couple of months ago and learned that I was single, he would try every other week to get me on a date. "Creep." I whipped my hair from off of my shoulders placing the keys on the hook and my bag on the old leather couch in the center of the living room space.

Again. Once again my pig of a roommate had the place in a wreck once again. His dirty gym shirts on the couch and floor, left over plates and cups on the wooden coffee table where the remote was missing from its home. "Probably in the couch." I sighed walking towards the kitchen, my heels clacking once again as I walked across the tile.

Pizza.

At least my leftover pizza wasn't touched. I had made it very clear to my roommate that out of everything in the apartment, I loved my G.C. Gotham Special pizza and if he dared to touch it, I would chop off his dick in the middle of the night and turn on the disposable.

"Yo!" I called out as my pizza heated in the microwave. I threw off my heels now adding to the mess of our apartment. "You home!"

No answer other than the heavenly sound of a ding from my food. I sat at the damaged wooden kitchen table enjoying the silence as I ate my little slice of heaven. There was a slight noise from my roommate's room, indicating he had left on the TV once again costing us more power or he was here and being an asshole like he was the other night.

With a sigh, I picked up the plate placing it into the dishwasher and walked down the hall to his room. My ear was placed on the wooden door attempting to hear anything to indicate he was in there. Nothing. I turned the knob half expecting him to be sleeping or even masturbating but once again nothing.

"Freaking-" I rolled my eyes walking pass the garbage and clothes in his room to turn off his prized flat screen. "Idiot." I turned to walk right back out trying my best to not tidy up his room until I saw a piece of paper on his desk.

I don't know why it caught my eye, but it did.

I read the page silently to myself attempting to calm my nerves.

"Yea. Okay…I'll let her know." The door slammed in the front room. "Damn creep…Yo, Mags? Ya home?"

I couldn't say anything. My eyes still roamed the piece of paper not believing the words written on it.

"Hey?" His footsteps were nearing down the hallway to my position and yet I still hadn't moved. Even when he opened the door fully from its cracked position, my hands still were clutched on the piece of paper. "What are you doing?" His voice was curt leaning his shoulder on the door frame of his room.

"What the hell is this?" I held the piece of paper in one hand raising it in front of me. The smug look in his eyes had faded being replaced by fear now. "I said, what the _hell _is this? _Fired_? What did you do this time, huh!" I charged forwards throwing the piece of paper into his chest and forcefully hitting his broad shoulder against my own.

"Wha-?"

I assumed he had looked at the crumbled piece of paper in his chest and then I heard the sound of his angry footsteps catching up to my own as I attempted to head back into the kitchen. "When were you planning on telling me that you've been out of work for a week now?" I turned readying my balled fist to collide with his face. He was smarter than that. After living with me for almost five years, I would be surprised if I **had** hit him. "So what did ya do, huh? What did you do this time?" I struggled to pull both my hands away from his grasp.

"Listen! I didn't-"

"This is the _fourth_ job you've lost! How is it I've managed to keep my job for two years now but you can't keep one for more than a year!" My anger filled the room and our struggle came to a cease, still however locked into each other's personal space. "Just what the hell is wrong with you?"

He lowered his head releasing his grip around both of my arms. "I knew you'd just be upset like last time. And I was right."

I shook my head pushing pass him towards my bedroom until a force pulled me back against the kitchen counter just as before. "You're a moron." I spat rolling my eyes at him. "So where have you been-"

"I got a construction gig. It's part time. But it's just enough…" His brown eyes looked back up from his gaze to my bare feet. "Can you just pick up a few more shifts until I can find another-"

"You know I will." I nodded turning around to reach into the refrigerator. Right now, all that would cure my anger was a double shot of whiskey in a coke. "You never answered me." I closed the door with a red coke can in my hand. "Where have you been going then?" I reached for the whiskey on the top of the fridge.

"The orphanage."

I nodded pouring my drink and making sure not to offer him anything. "Are they paying you then?" I took a gulp of the drink cringing as it burned my esophagus on the way down to my stomach.

"No...They had to get rid of the paid interns and hire volunteer ones now."

"Tsk." I rolled my eyes walking pass him again towards the couch. His sweaty gym clothes still on the furniture. "Not surprising."

"Hey just cause your home wasn't-"

I cut him off by throwing his shirts in his face. "Get your shit out of the living room, Blake! It fucking stinks."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much to those of you that have favoritied and alerted and special thanks to marianasgirl and SARAHBABE215 for reviewing! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

My one and only day of freedom and here I was four large trash bags in my hands as I walked down the tile hallway to the stairs that lead to the dumpster behind the building. "Damn child can never pick up his garbage." I huffed attempting to open the door with my filled hands. My adventure was proving very difficult to complete as I struggled waddling down three stories of stairs. When I reached the dumpster door I swore I heard angel's singing the blessed song, 'hallelujah.'

The night sky of Gotham was proving to be a chilly night. But since the disappearance of Batman seven years ago, every night seemed to be colder. I huffed out a breath of air while a couple strands of my blonde hair floated from the breeze.

"Ah ha ha ha. Why hello there!"

That damn voice. I cursed myself turning around to face Mark, my obsessive neighbor from down the hall. "Good evening." I responded coldly passing by his position and ignoring him as I threw the bags into the red dumpster. "How are you?"

"A hell of a lot better that you're here." He threw his cigarette on the ground continuing to walk behind me. "Mmmmh. And you smell good too. Just like last time."

I smirked throwing the final bag into the oversized can and turning behind my back. "Last time you tried this I recall giving you a black eye. So…" I took a step forward not intimidated by his statue over mine. "Back off-"

"Not tonight!" He jumped on top of my figure pinning me to the cool metal. "No. No no no no…tonight is different." His grip began to twist the skin on my arms forcing me to wince and not concentrate on taking the upper hand away from him. "Tonight, you're going to be mine."

Not giving him another chance, I raised my knee to his balls feeling the most sensitive parts of his body squish underneath the bare skin on my knee cap. Mark groaned falling forwards and releasing his hold. Without another warning, I took the back of his shirt and threw him into the dumpster head first.

"No bitch…" my breath was heavy, "You're mine." I smirked and then kicked his side. The force wasn't that hard since slippers protected my feet but it still got the job done. I patted my hands together walking towards the door and climbing the stairs with ease since my hands hadn't been as full as they were a few minutes ago.

As I clicked the lock to the apartment door, I smiled at my handiwork from the moment I woke up till the late evening. I had literally gone through the entire apartment and got rid of five years worth of unnecessary garbage and crap lingering in our apartment that Blake and I moved into together.

The room smelt a hell of a lot better as well. I used lemon scented cleaner throughout the place and then sprayed a fruity air spray just as I left to take out the garbage. The only spot out of place in the entire apartment was Blake's. Partially due because I didn't feel like washing his clothes or cleaning his mess of a room.

With a smile, I walked to the fridge eager to drink a beer when I stopped and realized we had none. "Damnit all to hell!" I snapped closing the fridge with a pop. I looked at my keys hanging on the wall next to the door and nodded. "Guess I need to make a run to the corner store…"

When I arrived back at the apartment, with one of my beers in hand, I noticed Blake passed out on the couch. "Men." I groaned and place my keys in their position. With an evil thought and a bit of persuasion from the alcohol, I leaned into his sleeping face and lightly placed my cold beer on his cheek.

"Wha da!?" Blake sat up frantically and looked to where I had been kneeling. "What the hell was that for?!"

I only continued my laughter offering him a cold one from the grocery bag. "Had a bad day?" I mocked standing and walking into the kitchen. I could hear the twist of the bottle cap and the small pop of carbonation from the drink. "You have no idea." He muttered after finishing a large gulp.

I sat next to him placing my feet on the wooden coffee table, "Humor me." I took another sip listening to my one and only friend bickering about his day as if he were a woman. "You know Blake." I cut off his story by placing my beer on the coffee table and removing my jacket off of my arms. "I always say…"

Blake smiled quoting my usual statement, "If you can't beat 'em, just say you're Batman and kick their ass." He chuckled taking a final sip of his beer wiping the amber liquid from the sides of his mouth. "Hey." His voice was deep and his eyes concentrated on my torso for some reason. Confused, I looked to where his general direction was and noticed the green and purple bruising on my limbs. "Who did that?"

I knew this wasn't a question, this was a command to find my attacker and beat that person to a pulp. "I already took care of him. You don't have to-"

"No, no! This isn't funny anymore Maggie! This is getting to the point that he's become obsessive over you!" Blake stood up reaching a hand towards the knob of the front door. "I'm going over there and-"

"No, you are not. No!" I pulled him back struggling to push him against the wall before he had time to twist the lock aside. "No you are not!" I yelled staring into his brown eyes, those eyes that got me through so many nights over the past years. "He won't press charges against me but the second you go over there you can't afford to go to court in the morning, Blake!"

His breathing had caught up forcing him to rest his body on the wall. "Why do you keep letting this happen to you?! I swear the one day he takes it too far-"

"I'll just tell him I'm Batman and then kick his ass!"

Blake rolled his eyes now changing position and forcing me off of him. "It's not funny when he's done this for two years now. Why can't you take things seriously?"

I only smirked looking down at my tennis shoes. "Why so serious?"

Blake turned and shook his head at me. "Stop that." I nodded and then found my spot back at the couch. "Do you want another?" He asked from the fridge and I quickly chugged my first one. "Yes please!" He came back placing the two beers on the coffee table.

"I like how clean the place is." He sat in the corner of the couch watching the muted television. "Oh and thanks ever so much for cleaning _my_ room. It looks great."

"You're welcome!" I smiled proudly, "I figured a 24 year old man would appreciate me not going through his belongings." I winked, "You know civil rights n all."

Blake only chuckled continuing to consume his drink even heavier now. "Hey so guess what?"

"Chicken butt."

"Ugh," He groaned rolling his eyes. "Just listen…I got a tip that the police will be hiring in a few weeks. I had a few guys look over my resume and they said it looked pretty good."

For once we were having a conversation that actually held value to the both of us. "Really!?" I moved my leg underneath my butt and leaned forward eager to hear more. "So you think you'll get hired?!"

The smile on Blake's face was one I so often enjoyed to see. It was a cross between the biggest smile you would have ever seen on a grown man, and a forceful frown attempting to hold back his emotions. "I can only hope so."

I squealed loudly and proceeded to slap his leg. "I'm so excited for you! I know you're going to make one hell of a cop!" I held my glass bottle in his direction causing him to clink the bottles together. "To the future Officer John Blake!"

"Hey!" He laughed before taking a sip, "Don't jinx me or nothin."

"Nah, you got this!" I shoved his usual bickering away and continued to drink until my beer was finished.

"Hey you know what I got the other day?" Blake stood up walking in the direction of his room.

I threw my hand over the headrest of the couch, "I don't know an erection?" He came back out with a bottle in his hand, "Well yes, but that's not what I was getting at. I bought you a present." He handed me the bottle and I couldn't resist the confused smile as I held it up.

"A bottle of Jagermeister?"

"Yea," He held a shot glass from his hand and slammed in on the coffee table. "I was feeling like celebrating." He sat on the squeaky clean floor thanks to yours truly. I handed him the bottle and watched as the brown syrup-like liquid filled the small glass. "You first."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Blake the last time I did that I-"

"I know…but that won't happen again." He held the shot in my face. "Drink." Holding my nose and inhaling deep, I cringed as the burn of the liquor filled my body causing me to twitch from the after-burn stinging pain. "See that wasn't too bad. Me next."

The sight of him cringing almost just as much as I had got my spirits back up for the moment, until he poured another shot and gulped it down quicker than the first. "Hey, hold on there partner." I reached for the bottle just before he took another. "Two is enough for now." I nodded and screwed the cap back on. Going into my usual drunken habit of tidying up, I took the beer bottles in my hand as well as the liquor and placed them in the correct places in the kitchen.

"You hungry?" I asked in which I only got a 'nah' as a reply.

"Do you even _remember_ that night?"

I looked up immediately not knowing the right words to say. My mouth agape staring at the back of his black haired head. "I-I uh…"

As he turned to face me, I could see the sadness and hurt fuming in his eyes. "Yea." He nodded turning back to face the television. "Sounds about right."

My footsteps were heavy as I walked over to his side on the couch, "Blake…" I held his hands leaning my face closer to his. "Of course I remember it-"

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

I always wondered what went on through his mind when he concentrated so hard that his forehead had wrinkles. "W-Why…didn't…anything change. Between us?"

I let go of a sigh of bundled emotions and held my head down to look at my shoes once more. "John…don't-"

"Just please. Tell me why?"

I raised my head shrugging my shoulders, "I don't have an answer for you. I just don't-" But my thought went unnoticed as his lips pressed against my own. Combined with the force of his thrown weight on top of me, I found myself lying on the cushion of the couch allowing my lips to part and make way for his tongue to dance along with my own.

My body couldn't care less to the little man waving his arms in my head screaming for me to 'abort mission', as my bruised and weak arms found their way around the back of Blake's neck pulling him closer to me. It astounded me how the taste of a jager shot seemed to burn ones mouth when they first take it but the aftertaste that lingered on both of our tongues was sweet, intoxicating almost.

Just like that night.

The memories flashed into my head.

A drunken party, a birthday cake and candles, a shot, another shot, six shots later, and then everyone left the apartment. Blake and I were alone.

I quickly pulled away scattering back from his position towering over top of me to the arm stand of the couch. The two of us fell silent as we watched one another not sure which one would react first. Being the hot-head I was, I took the moment to raise my legs from underneath his and remove myself from the couch. "I have to open the store early tomorrow morning." I nodded to him as he crawled back into a sitting position. His pouting glare was nothing short missed.

"I'm sorry." I sighed walking away and then stopping just before I entered the kitchen, "Lunch tomorrow?"

He only nodded.

"Good night." I commented back walking towards my door and making sure to lock it behind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Whooooo! Done with summer classes, but sadly I have a huge two week program thing for one of my organizations and I don't know how much I'll be able to update! Hopefully, if I time it out right, I can update in the evening!** **Make sure to leave a review pleaseeeeee! And t****hanks to SARAHBABE215 for reviewing! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"Come on already! We're not even going anywhere fancy, just an old rugged bar." Blake stood behind me while I debated which earrings would match.

"Just do me a favor and pick. These?" I turned my head, "Or these? Just pick!"

"The first ones, now let's go."

"Oh but wait, I still need to pick out shoes!"

Blake groaned even louder than before while folding his arms over his protruding chest. I swear if he hadn't have been going through police training these past three weeks, I'd have figured he was on steroids. Not that he was massive in any means, he was just more toned and muscle-y.

I winked my right eye looking in the mirror as he continued to glare at me while I made my assumptions of him silently in my head. "Heels? Or flats? You choose." I smiled once again.

He merely rolled his eyes and sighed, "Just pick. You look good in anything. Now come on."

"No I don't! Remember that awful bubble dress Miranda bought for me a couple years back. I think you let me wear that on purpose just so you could blackmail me in the future." I smirked teasing my hair with my hands once more before looking to his refection in the mirror. "I've burned all the physical evidence, but I still feel like you have outside sources. Well that and you being a police man and all-"

Blake grabbed my arm pulling me towards my closet inside my bathroom. "Yup. Now pick the shoes or I'll reveal to my friends your _horrific_ pictures of mass destruction."

I nodded and then bent down to pick out my favorite pair of black heels. They were pain black stilettos, but I could walk in these babies for days. Whoever said wearing four inch heels was torture hadn't tried these shoes on. Combined with my dark skinny jeans, and my brand new oversized silky dark purple top, I was ready to hit the town. "So who are we meeting again?" I asked Blake who had made his way to the kitchen table. "I know it's a couple of your new police buddies, but I forgot who."

"Smith, O'Donnell, Tommy and Stiller. Just the guys I've been training with. Come on we can talk on the way."

I nodded and followed his lead making sure to grab my satchel-like purse left on the couch. "So am I the only gal?" I smiled after he locked the door.

"At the moment, yes. Smith and Tommy are single…too." He placed his hands in his jean pockets trying to avoid my gaze as we walked down the hall towards the elevator. "I'm so glad he moved." Blake sighed looking down at the door where Mark used to live.

I laughed, "Yea when he found out you turned into a badass cop he fled the joint." I tilted my head, "My hero. Oh but wait," I placed my hand on his chest feeling around for some sort of rubber underneath his collared shirt, "Nope, just flesh underneath that shirt."

The doors to the elevator opened and we both stepped inside fighting for the chance to push the number 1 button. I won. "HA!"

"Heh, we'll see about that."

My heels clicked as they made contact with the pavement. It was the only noise that accompanied us as we walked through the night summer streets of Gotham in silence. Not to say that we hadn't walked in silence before…we were used to only having one another around even if we hadn't uttered a word.

I raised my chin to the dark sky fixating my eyes on a building shinning in the distance. When I lived at the orphanage I used to look up at the buildings with the hope that I could catch a glimpse of the masked hero of Gotham. The Batman, flying off to save the night…

I never saw him… not once.

I heaved the childish thought away from my mind with a sigh, but no matter how much I tried to push the thought of Batman away, the more I realized how much I owed the warrior of the night. "Hey John?"

"Uh oh, when you say 'hey John' that usually means something bad is about to happen." He responded coolly glancing with his brown eyes at me. For the moment we were the same height due to my four inches of comfortable high heels, but usually he had to look down at me most of the time.

I smiled from his comment, "No no, it's not like that…I just. I was thinking just now." I motioned with my arms briefly to the sky. "You think he's…ya know? Do you honestly think he'll ever come back?"

Blake continued to walk as did I along side of him. We had walked about two blocks and hadn't said a word since my question. As we both rounded the corner to the bar, I felt his hand wrap around my forearm. "I know he's still alive I just wonder what he's hiding from."

"I do. The whole city believes he's a murderer."

"What do you believe?"

For a moment, I hadn't even realized we had both stopped walking. It wasn't until I was wrapping my arm around his waist did I realize how personal the two of us had closed in on one another. "I believe…" I tugged on the back of his shirt, "There's more to the story."

He nodded with his not-so-smile smile. "Me too."

"Hey Blake! Woah-"

A man's voice called out to the two of us causing me to pull myself away from his grasp. "Hey there!" I ignored the blush on my face pacing my stride towards the man, "I'm Maggie! Blake's-"

"Main squeeze." He eyed me with a smile and then sniggered back at Blake behind me.

"Try roommate and best friend of almost eight years. We're not dating." I pushed pass the man glancing over my shoulder to Blake behind and then walked through towards the bar. I noticed a trio of men sitting at the bar and a smile found its way onto my lips. Instead of talking to them, I simply walked to the bored bartender and ordered a whiskey and coke.

"Well hey there." One of the men had noticed me standing next to them causing the other two to look as well. "You gonna-"

"Hey Smith," Blake walked to my side blocking my view from the men. "This is my roommate and friend, Maggie." His hand slapped across my back making me huff from the pressure of his weight. He had obviously forgotten just how strong he had gotten recently. "Mags, this is Smith, O'Donnell, Stiller and Tommy is taking a phone call outside."

I smiled with my pink glossy lips, "Nice to meet you all."

"Here's your drink." The bartender placed the plastic cup in front of my position and I had offered him the four dollars to pay for the cost of the drink. "No ma'am, ladies drink for free until 12."

I nodded and handed him the cash anyways. "Then at least take this as a tip." I smiled and then walked behind Blake towards the men. "So all of you guys are cops too?" They nodded eagerly and O'Donnell even offered me his seat. "So where are your lady friends tonight?" From just these few short sentences my drink was already half empty. I would run this place dry within the two hours I had to drink for free. Except drinking cheap whiskey wasn't exactly my favorite thing to do, at the moment dealing with the glare Blake was giving me I wanted nothing more than to escape in the fantasy alcohol consume a body inside from the events on the outside.

The night continued on followed by stories upon stories, cracking jokes and talking about police rumors. In all honesty they sounded like a group of gossiping girls. I had just finished my fourth drink onto the fifth when I noticed Blake standing by the bathroom in the back. My attention turned from him to Tommy now rubbing my forearm soothingly while he finished his tall tale.

"Heh, if I didn't know any better I would have thought you guys were a bunch of bickering gossiping women." I tilted my plastic cup back obtaining a cool piece of ice in my trap and then grinded it down until it became water in my mouth. "But don't worry; I still like you guys better than a group of girls."

Tommy nodded and then flashed his big cheesy smile, "So uh, what's da deal with you and Blake huh? You guys have lived together for so long and he never shuts up bout cha." He looked to the bathroom with no sight of the said man, "You guys aren't dating?"

"Nope." I looked to my new drink, this bartender was my hero. I hadn't asked for another since I finished the second one. "Never have."

"Why? I mean, not like it's any of my business it just that. Ya know people would think if you lived with a guy for ten years you would have at least slept with him or something."

I nodded taking a giant gulp of my drink and slamming it back on the table. "We've been roommates for eight years. Not ten. And I never said I _hadn't_ slept with him, now did I?" My gaze looked into the awkward face of Tommy. No, he wasn't bad looking by any means, short blonde hair and crystal blue eyes and a smile that would make any girl drop her panties. And yet, he just wasn't the type for me.

Pushing aside a strand of blonde hair from my forehead to my ear, my eye caught to Blake now talking to a woman from the back. The two seemed to be smiling at one another, her with big blonde hair like mine, red lips and full breasts looking up at John's glittery brown eyes. Even from a distance I could see that he was sparkling, that this woman was of high interest to him.

I turned my head before my body shot the plastic cup at the two and hummed silently to the music playing in the background.

"If you're that upset, go over there. Tell him."

My gaze looked back to Tommy and I simply rolled my eyes staring in front of my position at the wall of unopened liquor bottles. Oh what would I kill for a couple shots of Patron. I would be passed out within the hour and John would have no other choice then to carry me back home.

My legs and feet would forget how to move and he'd be forced to pull me onto his back. We would ride up the elevator together swaying until it dinged and opened to our floor. I would playfully run towards the door and reach for the key in his pocket laughing as a threat to try and lock him out. Of course, John was much stronger than I, and he'd push the door aside and lock it behind.

I'd fall onto the couch and John would laugh teasing me about how I was a drunk and a bum. And then I would get angry like always and tell him off for all the years I had to work doubles and extra shifts just so we'd be able to afford our rent and electricity for the month. Then he'd pick me up and take me to my room and plop me down on the bed. My body would spring back for a second pulling him down with me and hugging him tightly. His chest pressed against my ear and his strong arms wrapped and pulling my waist to him.

We'd say nothing to one another, only remembering the memories we had being with one another for so long. And then eventually, one of us…not sure who…but one would press their lips to the other. In the midst our drunken thoughts would turn into action and we would enjoy the fun and passion that came from the liquor in our veins. My bed would squeak from the broken springs at the bottom and I would moan like always. I was so damn loud. Even when I spoke I was too damn loud…I had to get used to practice talking in a whisper for these eight years. But growing up in a screaming and crying orphanage, you had to be loud in order to be heard.

Then the next morning would be silent, full of regret as we would wake up with one another. John would get out of the bed, not even caring to put back on his clothes as he walked down the hall towards his room. We wouldn't see each other for the rest of the day until night when one of us was hungry for dinner. We would sit at the broken table and eat silently until the TV would catch our attention and cause us to finally speak to one another.

We'd never talk about the night. We'd never say anything about the passion or the lust until the next time it would happen again, the next time we were taking off one another's clothes and experimenting with our tortured souls.

And here I was, still stuck in my position staring at the bottle of Patron that eyed me down as well. Another night, I scoffed in my head and then turned to look at Blake standing in front of me with that woman by his side. "Hey, this is my new friend Peggy." He smiled in his not-so-smile.

"Oh Peggy," I turned the bar stool towards her. "Short for Margaret?" The woman nodded revealing her perfectly straight bright white teeth. "Yes, actually."

I nodded, "Maggie. Short for Margaret as well."

"Yea, well." Blake shot me a look that said he wanted me to speak with him in private. "Could you come here for a sec?" I nodded and excused myself from the gentlemen next to me. The two of us walked to the corner near the entrance while Peggy stayed behind. "Hey, this girl is really into-"

"Stop!" I held my hand in front of him. "Just go." I nodded. "Take the key and make sure not to lock the door. I'll get Tommy or one of the others to walk me or bring me back home." The look on his face screamed he didn't believe me. "I'm serious." I giggled and backed away from his position. "Go…she's gorgeous."

Blake only nodded to me and pulled me into a quick and awkward hug at first, but stopped in the midst of it. "Thanks."

"See ya tomorrow I guess. Do you work?"

"Nah, day off tomorrow."

"Oh yay," I sighed sarcastically, "Me dos." Without another word, I turned on my black stiletto heels towards my chair I was at earlier. "He's all yours, sister." I smiled taking a sip of my drink and watching her smile grow as she joined Blake in the front.

"You let him go?" Tommy questioned my actions followed by strange glances from the other three men, Stiller had left twenty minutes ago to head back with his wife.

"They grow up so fast." I nodded and waved the plump bartender my way. "Give us each a shot of Jameson on me, oh and one for yourself as well."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for your reviews! I love hearing your thoughts! Special shoutout to Jen-loves-jeeps, Letsgo512 and Guest! First day of camp started and so far it's going well, but I got 13 more days...ughhhhh! Wish me luck! (ps, your reviews kept me motivated the whole day at camp as I checked on my phone! Thanks!)**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

I contemplated my hand on the doorknob of my apartment not sure what to expect on the other side. It would be quite hilarious to see Blake and this girl naked on the couch attempting to make it seem like nothing was happening, but I would know the truth. Actually, I knew the truth at the moment. He and she were in there together…

I turned the knob slowly and peaked through the crack of the door not seeing a body in sight. "So far so good…" I whispered stumbling in as quietly as possible. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the door, I fought to hold back my dry-heave at the muffled sounds on the other side of the wall.

A moan and a soft feminine gasp plus the steady rock of the bed indicated to me that the two were still in Blake's bedroom…and awake.

"Ugh. Yuck." I rolled my eyes and slammed the opened door into position. The small noises ceased in the next second. With a confident smile, I walked through the kitchen pass his room on the right and towards my own with my heels digging hard into the floor.

I could hear it now. The woman, Peggy, would ask who was it that just came home and Blake would have to reveal that the woman at the bar was his only roommate of eight years. If that didn't scare her off then he should really invest on keeping this Peggy around in the future.

My bed somehow felt better than it usually did. I lay on the faded quilt top of my bed for a few seconds staring at the rotating white fan above me. Mindlessly, my tired and blurry eyes attempted to catch a glance of one of the fan blades and follow it as it spun rapidly, but I quickly stopped after feeling like my head was about to spin right off my neck.

I sat up reaching for the bottom of my purple shirt and pulled it messily over my head. Now my hair was messed up, I cursed and then strained my arms behind my back to unhook my bra. Who the hell invented these things, and why the hell did they make them impossible to get off and on?

Removing the rest of my clothes to the floor I slid into my hot pink sports bra and sleeping shorts that were at the foot of the bed as always. I hadn't even bothered to take off my makeup or brush my teeth. I would just do all of that in the morning like I always would on a drunken night.

The darkness of sleep came welcoming easy after I turned off the light, but as the sun woke from its own slumber, I noticed the light peaking through my curtains through the lids of my eyes. "Damn…" My voice was croaky and horse.

"Urgh…" I quickly counteracted the light of the sun by throwing my face onto the pillow. I didn't have to work today so why the hell was I up at the crack of dawn?! For once I just wanted to sleep in.

Then my stomach growled forcing me to moan once again. I was about to question my hunger when I realized I hadn't eaten anything for dinner last night and I would probably sober up more now than later if I got up and made something to eat. And apparently I had way too much to drink last night because after throwing the covers off of my body, I wobbled to the door.

How in God's name I made scrambled eggs for myself was beyond thinking as I stared into my plate of yellow mush on the table. There was a small shift of movement in Blake's room but I didn't offer to raise my curiosity beyond that. My heavy and tired eyelids wouldn't allow it. I rested my chin into the palm of my hand with my elbow leaning against the table and fell asleep.

I probably sat there for a good twenty minutes before a door closed jumping me back into reality. I was in the kitchen. I had been sleeping…I had made eggs?

I pushed the cold soggy mush on the plate in front of me and then looked to the source of the noise. "Peg-gy?" I groaned seeing the woman in her clothes from last night.

"Well," Her smile could only be described in one word: Bitchy. "John hadn't told me that you were his roommate. He only said you were a friend."

I smiled and nodded. "Yup. Lived with him for eight years." I pushed my plate around on the table making a scraping noise and having an inner debate on life's hardest question at the moment: Was I going to trust my drunken-self and eat the eggs or continue to stare at the plate?

"So I have to ask like I do to the other woman," I raised my eyes to the woman now walking towards the front door. "On a scale of one to ten?"

Peggy sneered at me for a moment holding her purse in hand, "A five. Have a _great_ day, Maggie."

I nodded looking down at my eggs once again. "You too, Peggy." The door opened and closed and I stood to lock it back into place just in case this woman decided to come back. As far as I was concerned, she wasn't welcomed anymore. "A five?" I looked to John's room folding my arms over my chest and sitting back in the chair. "John, you are losing your touch."

With a groan I stood from the table reaching for the knob of Blake's room pushing the door aside silently just to make sure he was still alive. For all I could have known, this woman could be a vampire or another costumed vigilante that killed him cold in the middle of the night.

Instead, he slept in silence with his bare chest not protected from the blue cotton sheets of his bed rising up and down slowly. I smiled leaning on the side of his door frame and watched him for a moment until my eyes dropped like they had at the table a while ago. "Damn." I muttered and walked into the room bending down and placing myself in-between the sheets of his bed.

At first, Blake had stirred opening his drunken eyes and turning onto his chest to see the intruder, but the sleepiness proved to be a better fighter forcing him to sink back down into the welcoming sheets. I did the same.

I closed my eyes resting my foggy head against the spare pillow facing in the direction of the door while his chest faced my back. Out of everything in this disgusting mess of a room, I always found comfort in his bed. The feel of the worn and cozy cotton sheets, the scent of his lingering cologne imbedded within the fabric, and of course the warmth of his body alongside of my own.

We fell still in the next moment only our soft breathing filling the dead emptiness of the room. His fan never rotated and it always bugged me that he didn't have it on. I loved the white noise it provided and instead he found it annoying. One of the many clashing thoughts we had.

I thought crossed my memory and I shot my eyes open from the recurring nightmare. A white painted face threatening me to blow up a boat full of people in order for me to survive. His crackling laugh echoed through my head as I pushed the trigger killing and blowing up the many lives stuck on the ferry boat. I had never been scared of death as a child, but the fact that in this dream I had wanted my life over a hundred innocent ones terrified me now as an adult and even then when I first had the dream as a 15 year old. This was the same nightmare I had the night I had gotten off of the Gotham Ferry Boat. And every so often it would haunt my dreams.

I sighed in dismay knowing it would be impossible for me to fall back asleep now that my mind was focusing on this memory.

Usually when I had the nightmare I would wake in cold sweat and then wander into Blake's room, just as I had just done now. It was a tremendous amount of comfort I found in his bed while the two of us slept alongside of one another. It was, at first, awkward and intimidating, but soon after those first couple of minutes the tension would fade as well as my mind.

"Blake?" I whispered turning to face him. "Blake?" I whispered again placing my hand on his chest. He only moaned and turned to lie on his back in the attempt to ignore my call like always. Instead of bickering like I usually did, I crawled to his side resting my head in the crease of his arm and chest.

He was warm; one of the few benefits about this man, especially on a cold Gotham City night and I found myself caressing his sternum in the middle of his bare chest. His arm I was resting on moved and his hand made its way on the top of my head, tangling what was left of the spots on my blonde head that weren't tangled already.

Deep within his chest I heard a moan vibrating through my ears and I hadn't a care to any of the words that came from his mouth until he tapped my head with his fingertips. "Mag?"

"Hm?" I closed my eyes holding my hand against his right peck. "I'm sorry," I whispered nudging my head closer to his neck. "I didn't hear you."

He sighed with a smile, even with my eyes closed I could tell when he was happy, angry or calm. "I said, did you scare her off?"

I shook, "No, you did that for her." My eyes roamed to his brown ones above me, "She rated you a five tough guy. You're losing your touch."

His smile faded and the hand on my head pulled my back closer into his warm side. "Or maybe she just wasn't the one for me."

"Maybe…" I sighed closing and wrapping my hand on his chest to his shoulder. "Blake?"

"Hm."

"I had the dream again." I whispered with my eyes closed.

He pulled me even closer than before pressing his lips to the top of my head. His worried sigh indicated his protection over me. "You okay?"

I only nodded and lay in the silence that fell upon the two of us. For a moment, I contemplated the thought of raising my leg to mount over his hips and kiss him, or even wrapping my left leg around his right as we lay along with one another. My body did nothing of what my thoughts commanded. Instead, my voice seemed to have a mind of its own. "Do you remember that night?"

His voice was deep and for once I couldn't tell if he was still being over protective or if he was angry. "Which one?"

"The night after the first nightmare, in the alley." I pushed myself up and onto my elbows to get a better look at him while I spoke. "After the Ferry ride, you remember?"

He nodded with his jaw clenched and his hand roaming the exposed parts of my back from the pink sports bra. "I never forgot."

My smiled grew and then I dared the question I had never asked but always contemplated, "Why Robin? You asked what my last name was and I never had one. So why did you suggest Robin?"

He and I lay still once again staring at each other. I noticed in that moment his ears. He never quite grew into those slightly bigger ears of his. I would have offered to call him Dumbo when we first met, but I believed that teasing a person that was willing to help you escape from hell couldn't be all that dumb.

"Say something…?" I reached for the left side of his face tugging at his ear since my thoughts were focused on the body part.

"I just- I just thought it would be nice. Margaret Robin." He looked to the ceiling breaking our gaze from one another. "It sounded cool."

I huffed, "It sounds like a hooker name now." I gave his cheek a light slap and then scratched the top of his head like you would do to a dog. "But I guess in the mind of a 17 year old, Maggie Robin does sound cool."

Blake nodded and then attempted to sit up while pulling me out of his personal space. As he rested his elbows on his knees, I watched the sheet fall from his waist exposing the bare side of his legs and hips.

"Jeeze, you would think you would have some damn decency and sleep with boxers." I sat back on the empty side of his full sized mattress smirking at the frown he gave me with the turn of his head. "Well, I wasn't exactly expecting you to barge in uninvited."

"You dick!" I laughed, "I fucking live here." His glared turned into a cocky smile and messily he threw the sheets over top of my head. "Like I said!" I squealed feeling his arms hold my head underneath the dark blue sheets while his legs straddled my hips. Our bodies separated by the dark cotton sheet of his bed.

"Don't look. I'm self conscious." He whispered giving me a slight chill from the huskiness in his voice.

"Tsk." I rolled my eyes as I felt his legs dismantle my body, "I don't think you can ever be self-conscious around me since the night I caught you masturbating on the couch, you twit." I pulled the sheet off half hoping to catch a glance at his tight ass again but I was too late. Officer Blake already had his blue boxers on.

"Yea…" He nodded not even bothering to put on a shirt. "Did I ever mention how much I hate you?"

"Did I ever mention I've never told anyone about that?"

He walked back to his side and pulled the covers overtop of his body turning to my side, "Did I ever mention how much I _love_ you?" I could see pass the sarcasm and I rolled my eyes as the only answer. "Oh I've been meaning to tell you, this week I'm graduating from training so I'll be out on duty staring this weekend."

I turned to him with a half-hearted smile. "That's great."

"Getting a police car and everything. So now we don't have to walk everywhere."

"I like walking."

"You like walking ten blocks in the cold? I know that the coffee shop is right next to the store, but come on Maggie, you have to be cold most of the time."

I only shrugged. "I don't mind the cold. It was always cold at the orphanage." We both grew silent and I cursed the fact I mentioned the word 'Orphanage' in the first place. "I-um, I'm sorry…" I sighed closing my eyes. "Blake?"

"Hm?"

"When you get the car, will you drive me around in the back with the sirens and lights on?"

He chuckled at my request and pulled me closer to his figure. "Mags," He whispered in my ear making my head twitch as his warm breath clouded my neck, "I'd do anything for ya. 'Specially throw you in the back of a cop car."


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, thank you so much for the AMAZING reviews! I'm so glad that you all are liking Maggie and Blake's relationship. Special thanks to Decepticon-silverstreak, BritanyJean, Letsgo, Guest, jen-loves-jeeps, mw565781, and marianasgirl!  
**

**I also want to apologize with my updates. I mentioned I would be tired from my camp and sure enough yesterday I sat down on the computer and fell asleep with my hands on the keyboard. lol. I went to bed at 9:30 because I was that tired...blegh! Also this chapter might seem like we are closing into the movie, but we still got a ways to go until we hit the movie. So...yay more Maggie and Blake love!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"Thank you, and have a great afternoon sir." I smiled handing the man his brown paper bag full of his purchases. The store had just opened about an hour ago and already I had sold four ties, three jackets- one blue and two grey, and six colored collared shirts all done without the help of my fellow employees. I looked up from my position behind the register watching the other salesmen attempting to assist their guests with their purchases. They were all pretty much hopeless idiots, but cute and funny to be around nonetheless.

"How's Mr. Blake been, Miss Robin?" My boss, manager of J.R.W. Suits and Ties, James Rover Washington smiled walking to my side.

"Actually, he's Officer Blake now, JW." I smiled proud to say the initials of his name. After working with him for five years, I had the right to anyways. "Has a shiny new badge, car, uniform and everything else to protect this city."

JW nodded picking up our newest catalog, "Well since that clown man went to Arkham things have been pretty quiet around here."

I giggled and raised a finger to my lips, "Sh! Don't jinx us!" He chuckled and then looked as the door chimed indicating a new customer.

"Ah! My dear friend Mr. Dagget!" JW walked from out of the counter to shake the man's hand surrounded by his wall of body guards. "Always a pleasure to see you! How can we help you?"

"Fine as always. I need a suit obviously." Dagget's smile was crooked. It almost seemed like he was making a deal with the devil as he spoke, "Can you help me?"

"Why of course," JW motioned with his hands for me to follow and I nodded walking out of the register area towards the business man. "This is Miss Margaret Robin, she is my head dresser and she is sure to guarantee you the specific suit you desire."

I nodded proud of my title and motioned for the man to follow, "Right this way to the mirrors for your measurements please." He stood on the podium while JW and the guards mingled around the shop leaving me and Mr. Dagget alone. "So what type of suit are you interested in today?" I smiled my usual fake salesman grin while taking up his measurements.

"I need one to wear for Harvey Dent Day at the Wayne mansion in a month. Something classy that says, 'Soon-to-be Richest Man in Gotham' but with a hint of modesty."

I laughed, "I'm sorry Mr. Dagget, we don't have any available suits in gold fibers. I'll have to tell JW we must invest in this material, just for you sir." He smiled as well as I turned my back bending down to place the tape in its position. Despite the fact my back had been turned, I could see his hungry eyes in the reflection of the room of mirrors as he eyed me from top to bottom. As much as I wanted to turn and slap him across the face, I stood abruptly and turned with a smile, "Shall we continue, sir?"

He nodded taking my hand and kissing the top lightly. "After you, madam." I forced a blushed smile hoping to butter him up to buy an expensive suit. We walked through the back rooms of the store examining the suits almost in comparison to the show 'Say yes to the dress' and so far I had four suits in held in my hand for his liking.

"So, Miss Robin, what it?" I nodded while continuing to examine the rack. "How long have you been working here?"

"Five years sir. I know my way around, you could say."

He smiled making me nervous with the hint of evil beaconing from it. But maybe it was the fact that he was a crooked business man like the rest of the men that came into the shop. He laughed and then looked into my younger, less corruptible face, "I'm assuming you all dress some of the most wealthiest men in Gotham, correct?"

I only nodded concerned to what he might say next.

"Well, soon I will be the wealthiest and you all can say you clothed me! You see, it's a win/win situation." I hesitantly laughed and he continued, "Have you ever dressed Mr. Wayne?" His curiosity and tone of voice screamed that he was up to something much more than wondering.

I sighed trying to find the right answer for his comment, "Mr. Wayne hasn't been around for very long. When he _does_ want a suit, he usually asks us to deliver it or his people come to the store to pick it up. The tailors have his measurements already."

"Hmmm." Dagget smiled and then placed a hand on my waist. "So why still a _Miss_, Miss Robin?" I forced laughed trying to hold in my cursing thoughts.

"Just haven't found the right one. No matter how clean the streets are, a good man is hard to find."

He pulled me closer. Dagget's breath clouded my face as I stood still afraid my actions would ruin the business deal, "But I'm right here." he pulled me to his lips forcefully holding me against his chest.

I allowed him to continue for a brief second and then pulled away with a breathy and hesitant chuckle. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to be fraternizing my employees, Mr. Dagget. No matter how rich or powerful they are, I would be devastated to lose my job."

He nodded and then offered me a hand out of the back room. We walked back into the store in silence until Dagget coughed, "So, ahem, I'll take them all Miss. Robin. How much is that?"

"Uh," I tapped at the register and then smiled at my total, "$14,681.56 for all five suits and ties Mr. Dagget." He flashed me a silver credit card with a smile while my desk assistant handed one of the guard men the specially wrapped suits in plastic. "Have a wonderful day Mr. Dagget, and we hope to see you back soon." I smiled big attempting to wipe away any of the disgust I had towards the fact he had just assaulted me.

"We will, Miss Robin." Dagget nodded and with that he and his entourage left the store.

"By God!" JW scared me out of my thoughts of pretending to have laser vision and blasting Dagget's head into mush, "Go home Margaret! You have deserved the rest of the day!"

"Oh," I laughed with a cheery smile, "Oh no. I can't. I can't leave you here today. I have nothing to do-"

"But I insist!"

"Really, JW, I _insist_…" Then I eyed him cunningly. "But I could use a raise."

The owner sighed with a smile shaking his head as well, "You are already my highest paid employee. But I just I could give you a bonus for the hard work you've put into the job."

"Thanks Mr. JRW, you're the best." I hugged him lightly and then laughed, "Now, let me get back ta work!"

* * *

The rest of the afternoon flew by. Honestly, I was too excited to tell Blake about my victory that I had planned a speech about the event in my mind. Of course, I was leaving out the part about Dagget kissing me, but including everything else.

At the moment, I was standing behind the register counting up totals from the morning when I lifted my head as the door chimed. JW had been in a delightful conversation with a guest while Brent, one of my fellow employees, stood by my side at the register.

"Can I help you?" Brent smiled adjusting his neck tie to the guest and walked out to greet the three men. They didn't look like the type who would just waltz right into a suit shop and know what type of suit they would want, but we were based on serving and educating every man on their needs.

The three men gathered in a triangle formation and all three had stern frowns plastered on their faces. "Yea you can help us." The man in the center of the three raised his hand from behind his back with a handgun raised to Brent's head. "Don't call the cops."

I think I screamed for a moment trying not to retain the image of Brent's skull blowing into bits as the room drove into a scene of chaos around me. I remained standing planted at the register as the other two men ran over to the counter while the man with the gun stepped over top Brent's motionless body threatening the customers, my co-workers, and boss to stay down.

"Give us the money and all of your records!" One shoved a duffle bag in my arms while taking the count book from my hand. Instead of giving into their demands, my attention focused on one piece of critical information: _'All of your records.'_

Now, it's just me, but why would a common group of thieves want a record book of our customers?

"I'm sorry…" I whispered firmly holding my hands above my head. "I can't do that." My voice was stern, but there was no denying the fact I was scared. Not so much for me, but for my fellow humans in the room alongside of me.

The other man raised a gun to the side of my head forcing me to close my eyes ready for death. My brains would be splattered on the floor just as Brent's were just now. The smell of metallic from the blood and the loaded gun filled my nostrils while I forced to hold back my gag.

"No don't! Boss said we can't touch her, 'member!"

My eyes shot open and I stared at the man with the gun while the other hopped over the register to take the money.

"Margaret! Please!" JW yelled and then I heard a shot from the third gunman. "SHUT THE HELL UP, OLD MAN!" He yelled firing two more rounds into JW's chest.

"NO!" I screamed and then struggled to fight off the man in front of me.

"Yo! Please, can I do it?! Please!"

"NO!"

I punched the guy struggling against me in the nose forcing a stream of blood to flow as I pulled away. "Get away from-" I felt the mouth of the gun collide with the side of my head forcing me onto the cool marble of the ground.

I had to get up, I had to stop these men from stealing. While clutching the side of my head, I attempted to pull my legs underneath my body, but a foot held me down to the ground. "Next time you move, a bullet is going in each one of your limbs pretty Missy."

I struggled to fight his weight but I couldn't budge. Something inside of me was growing weak and it ate away at me to no end…then I focused my eyes on the sight in front of me: my hand had been outstretched showing off the small faded cut in the crease of my thumb and fingers.

It was the cut I had received the night I ran away from the orphanage. The night I was faced with death- just like right now. It was the same night I met my best friend that I probably wouldn't see ever again until he joined me in the afterlife. "John…" I muttered through grinding teeth staring at my hand as the black vision took over my eye sight.

"Got something to say, sweet cakes?" The man stomped on my back even harder forcing a few pops in my spine.

"Y-Ye-ea." I croaked turning my gaze to the man. "Fu-uck you!" Another fire of the gun rang through my ears and in all honesty, I couldn't tell you if it had hit me or not. My brain had clouded out just as the noise struck.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow guys. Sorry about that horrible cliffhanger and the wait... my camp is intense and I still have a week left. This chapter is the shortest one and I would totally add to it, but I just can't... I am way to stressed. I just want to thank InkShaper, SARAHBABE215, easyl0ve, the two Guests, and DEVISATOS. You guys are ALL awesome and I hope I can get inspired or have time to update!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"2-11 with a 2-17 and two 4-19 on scene at 601 4th street, at J.R.W. Suits and Ties."

I picked up my radio the second I heard the address and screamed into the device, "10-4, I am on my way now!"

From the confused look in my partner's eye he hadn't figured out in the short about of time I pulled the car out of the watch spot why I was in such a hurry. "Hey, we're supposed to be looking out for speeders right now!" My partner complained as I hit a speed of 75 going down the street. "What the hell are you-"

"That's where Maggie works, damnit! God damnit, she fucking works there and there are two dead bodies on scene!" I never thought I would be this on edge during my second week on the job, but Maggie was my best friend. She was all I had left in the world and I promised her from the day I met her that I would protect her…Batman was gone, my parents, the old me, everything was gone except for Margaret.

My entire body seemed to shake starting from my hands griping onto the steering wheel for dear life to my arms and throughout my chest down my spine and through my legs and feet. As I raced through the street I imagine I was playing my xbox racing game. I thought for a brief moment when Mag would yell at me complaining the TV was loud for her liking. I always responded back that one day I would drive like this she'd be on the sidewalk telling me to be quiet.

What would I give to hear Maggie screaming at me like always. For once, I honestly wanted to hear her nagging…

I practically threw myself out of the car, almost forgetting to put the gear into park just before I exited. Two other police cars had already been parked in the front of the store with their lights flashing just like mine along with two Gotham ambulances on scene. "Maggie!?" I called running into the shop panicking for a moment when I didn't see a woman in sight. "**Margaret!?**" I yelled again while a cop on the scene turned to me.

"What are you doing here, son?" He hushed me and pulled me to the side, but I refused to cooperate. "Officer, what are you-"

"Margaret. My- my, uh, my girl… she works here." I looked to the side seeing a bloody man in the corner. "Mister, JW…that's her boss…" I walked towards him and then stopped looking down at another dead body right below my feet. He was the second body. There were only two in the call and usually there were four employees working in the store at all times.

I adverted my eyes from the man's broken and cracked head to look at the officer walking to the register on the wall. "Hey! Hey!" My ears perked up and I turned to the cop by the counter, "Miss! Ma'am are you okay?!"

I think I pushed the officer in front of me and the one running towards the counter, I know I pushed him out of the way with a heavy grunt until I made my way towards the body lying motionless on the floor. "Margaret! Damnit!" I picked her up into my arms shaking and attempting to shake her eyelids open to see those green hazel eyes. "Maggie, Maggie, pleaseee!" my voice hinted towards the tears running down my face that I hadn't known fell from my eyes.

I stared into her peaceful face only holding on for dear life at the fact she might still be alive. She had to be. This crazy bitch of mine just had to still be there to bug me in the morning and night and every second I saw her of the day. "Maggie…" I leaned my face into her hair holding tighter than I had before. "Baby please…Mags…" her head rolled to the side of my arms as I pulled her closer into my police uniform.

"Officer! You can't move the dead-"

"SHUT UP! SHE'S NOT DEAD! SHE CAN'T BE!" I screamed loudly almost pretending to hide her in my chest as if she wasn't a part of the crime scene. I'd get in trouble for this. It was only my second week in, and already I was failing miserably and breaking rules and codes. "She's…not…dead…leave us…alone." My voice made its way through grinding teeth and the officer nodded and took off responding to the other men on the scene.

I held my hand over top of Maggie's face touching her gently like a porcelain doll. There was a trickle of blood on her right side of forehead and I quickly wiped the streak of red away from her face. If she was dead than she couldn't be seen looking like a mess. "I'm…" I choked out while my palm found what little warmth in her cheek. "I'm sorry…I couldn't-"

"Mhmm?"

"What?" my heart skipped a beat hearing a vibrating noise underneath my arms. "Maggie!?" My hands tightened around her hold, "Margaret?!"

"Mhmmm," Her eye lids fluttered for a second or two and she opened her mouth so slightly, "Bl-mnnn… Bla-ke?" Her eyes rolled back into her head and I felt my heart stop as her head fell.

"Hey, HEY!" I held her into my lap forcing her into a position where her head could be supported, "Maggie! Don't you do this to me! Don't you dare!"

She smiled gently and I felt her hand pull on my uniform just tucked into my pants and belt. "Bl-ake…" her smile widened revealing her two buck teeth that were no worse than my ears. "Do you…always rescue-" Her voice was a harsh and tearing whisper, "Woman in distress…while on the job?"

I huffed with a half-smile and pressed my forehead against hers. "Still teasing me?"

"Till the day I die," Her hand had found its way to my right ear tugging it outwards even more. "Which won't be today…" She added making me laugh and cry and pull her closer into a hug. "You can't cry…you ne-ver cry…"

I blinked a few moments before pulling back to look at her, "I never lost you." Her cold finger tips traveled lightly down my neck to the bottom of my jaw. "Are you hurt?" I questioned trying to pick her up slowly and carefully.

"My back…he stepped on me…"

"Who did?"

"The robber. There was three…and they-" She stopped talking and then burst into warm salty rivers of tears. "-they killed them! Didn't they!? They killed-"

"Shhhhhh…" I patted her head against my shirt resting my jaw on the top of her frayed blonde hair. "Shhh…don't do that…come on we have to take you to the hospital…shhh." I knew she wouldn't want to go, she didn't even like to go to the doctor for a cold, let alone walk near a hospital. Her fear of them started since the Joker blew Gotham General eight years ago.

She struggled for a second, but I wouldn't give her the opportunity to resist while wrapped in my arms. "Don't look…" I muttered standing up with her legs draped in one arm and her back in the other. She only nodded holding onto the back of my neck with both arms.

"Is the ambulance ready?" I questioned to my partner and he nodded, "Follow me." I snapped walking past the cops taking pictures of the scene and stepped outside.

"Is she hurt?" One of the paramedics asked and I nodded caring her towards the back of the white ambulance.

"Blake…don't leave." Maggie held onto my collar just as I placed her up and into the van. "Don't leave me…"

I took a good look at her long and hard before pulling away. "I'm not." I nodded and then reached for my keys on my belt. "Officer Johnson," I looked to my partner holding the keys out towards him. "Park it at the station. I'll be there in the morning."

He nodded back, "I'll tell them an officer is with a witness, huh? Take care."

I turned back to Maggie still holding with her right hand on my collar. "Come on it won't be that bad." I offered her a smile wiping the dried blood from her forehead yet again. "I'm here. I've always been."

She nodded shaking. "I know…just…" Her breath hitched and she shook away the tears from her face, "I just think it was more than a robbery, _Officer Blake_…" My eyebrows crossed as I sat by her side on the cot-bed in the back of the van. "Why's that, _ma'am_?"

She looked up terrified at me and I had to strain myself from not losing my cool right in front of her. "They wanted-"

"Sir were gonna have to-"

"Just shut up will ya!" I raised my hand to the medic on the street and held onto Maggie's arm. "What? What did they want?!"

"They wanted money from the register…and uh, records…our records. All of them…" Her eyes focused into mine, "Why would a bunch of thieves want our records, and then shoot two people…?"

I nodded and stood up, "Don't leave!" I commanded to the paramedic and then marched towards the head officer taking notes.

"Officer Blake, I thought you would be on your way with your girlfriend-"

"Cut it." I snapped forcing the man from earlier to stare at me instead of his notebook. "Listen, she just informed me that they wanted the record books along with the money from the register. See if you can find out what records they were after." I turned to leave and then turned back, "Oh and uh, she's not my girlfriend!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow I'm just going to apologize right now for my absence. For those of you that are in college or just started, my 'camp' was really Rush for my sorority. Let me just tell you... it was so stressful and tiring and most of the time I came back to my apartment and fell right into my bed. But, it was also the best two weeks of my life and I've made more friends than I thought I would have! **

**Any whos... so I'm back on my Dark Knight spree and I'm so excited to hear your awesome reviews again! Thanks so much to marianasgirl, disneyylandacidtrip, Snowy702, rachelxabrahams, and Wolflihood for reviewing! **

**This chapter gets a little steamy and I was wondering if there are those that would be interested in a sex scene? It might be in the next one, or in a later chapter...I've never really written one before so I'm kinda nervous and want your feedback. **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

The door to the front of the apartment opened and in walked a tired uniformed Officer John Blake. I didn't pay him any attention as he placed his keys on the rack and took off his police jacket.

"Hey."

I offered him no response, only tucking myself further into my blanket cocoon on the couch staring at the television mindlessly.

"You gonna say hi to me?"

I still offered him no answer.

He sighed heavily passing by towards his room and slamming the door shut. Still, I refused to move from my spot. I didn't really know just what the hell I was watching in particular- some reality TV show about a hair salon of some sort. I had heard about it on the tabloids and by word of mouth, but I never really even watched tv in the past.

Now, watching this garbage, it was clear to me why exactly I didn't bother to watch what the rest of Gotham was tuning into.

"So you've just been sitting there all day?" Blake's voice had an undertone of anger to it and honestly I couldn't tell why. I mean, for someone who witness their boss and friend get shot right in front of them and then get beaten up themselves should be on the first trip to Arkham. My sanity rested in the fact that this television show was distracting me to their insignificant problems from my own.

"Babe…" Blake's heavy footsteps vibrated through the floorboards underneath my resting feet towards my position. "What's wrong?"

I shook without any sort of emotion on my face. "Nothing…" I muttered after a pause causing Blake to join me on the other side of the couch.

"It's been a week…we've tried locating those men but so far, nothing has shown up." He patted my shoulder through the thick wool blanket and I nodded slowly not really caring too much to his words. "We've been trying to locate those files as well. I think they might have wanted someone's personal information. Maybe Mr. Washington's or someone you all sell suits too…" I saw him roll his head out of the corner of my eye. "Okay…well, I'm hungry. You hungry?"

I raised my eyes without the use of my head towards his position. "No." I muttered turning my focus back to the screen.

He smiled, "That's a yes. Come on. Have you even been outside at all today?" I shook my head no still not moving to get out of my position. "Doesn't surprise me…" He stood from his spot and then wrapped his arms around my body pulling me into the air. "Are you even dressed?" He smirked bringing me against my will to my bedroom.

"Blake!" I groaned squirming out from his arms to my feet with the blanket draped over my shoulders. "I hate you." I whispered causing him to pick me back up again. "Let me down you jerk!"

"Mhhh. Make me!" He smiled and then ran with me into my bedroom. "I guess I can put you down now." He threw me onto the bed with the blanket parachuting over top of me. "Now get dressed. We're going to get breakfast."

"Breakfast?" I questioned looking at my clock, "But its 10:40 p.m. It's too late for breakfast."

"Awww, it's never too late." He smiled and then pointed to my bathroom, "Now hurry up, I'm starving." I nodded with a sigh pushing myself off the bed. I knew where we were going …it was our usual spot to go to: The Gotham Waffle.

Most people would usually go there when they were intoxicated but John and I were avid fans since we went about five years ago. I was 17 years old at that time and I remember it so clearly: for some reason I had been starving the whole day and Blake was nice enough to offer to eat out. Well actually, he had been craving eggs and ours had gone bad sitting in the refrigerator for over two months.

After we arrived, we were seated down at the booth on the right to the back of the shop and met our waitress, Carmella, the sweetest old lady I had ever known. She played up their famous hash browns and I'm pretty sure that's what did it in for me alone. Who knew chopped up potatoes could be so damn good? I think that night sitting in the old and grungy pancake house is probably one of my favorite memories… there was nothing went wrong that night. Everyone had been in such high spirits that caused Blake and me to return every so often when we were in need of a pick-me-up.

I realized in the next moment that I had been sitting in the cop car already dressed when I started to think about our first visit. I looked to my left to catch a glimpse of Blake's face when I realized he had been looking at me since we were stopped at a light. "What?" I curtly replied turning my head to the opposite direction.

"I just was thinking about when we first went to G-Waffle. You 'member?" Blake said with a smile and drove the car forward as the light turned the vibrant shade of green.

I smirked slightly nodding my head, "Just bits and pieces. I just remember the hash browns, and of course Carmella." I lied through my teeth. Even though I refused to look at him and instead focus on the people walking on the sidewalks, I could tell Blake was rolling his eyes knowing I remembered a lot more than what I stated.

The car pulled into the parking lot and I quickly unfastened my seat belt reaching for the handle of the door. Blake placed a hand on my thigh stopping me from my exit and causing me to turn and face him. "Not hungry, huh?" He chuckled and then released his hold on my leg. "Come on let's go get some grub."

The two of us slammed the doors of the car into position and walked on the sidewalk side-by-side in silence. Blake reached for the door and held it open for me to walk in. Despite all of the mannerless men in the world, Blake had the gift of being a true gentleman.

"Well well well! If it isn't my favorite duo come to visit me again!" Carmella smiled at the hostess table. "I got your seat all ready to go!" She waved for us to follow even though we already knew exactly where we were heading. The booth on the right in the back. "So I'll go and get your drinks ready to go, Maggie a sweet tea and for Blake his orange juice!" Carmella smiled but then got caught up in her exit when Blake shook his head.

"Actually, I need a cup of coffee… Work is killer Carm." He smiled and Carmella nodded in confusion.

I raised my eyebrow at the man sitting across from me. "Coffee? Work? You have to go back?" He only nodded and I already knew why. He had gotten into trouble for stepping into the crimes scene at the suit shop and disobeying orders. As punishment, he was given a load of paperwork duty and I assumed that he wasn't done. "How much you got left?" I asked sitting into the worn cushion on the back seat.

Blake flipped through his menu skimming the pages very quickly. "About a night's worth. Don't worry as soon as I'm done and the papers are turned in I'll be back out on the streets in a jiffy."

"Yippee." I muttered with a roll of my eyes and reading through the pages. I never really knew what to order, I would always let Carmella decide for me.

"Alright so here's a tea and for Mr. Blake a coffee! What am I ordering for you two this evening?" Carmella came back with a smile. Despite the worn and tired bags under her eyes she still looked just as she did the day Blake and I met her. She was a motherly figure in our lives if you had to label her, but she was better: a motherly friend if you had to have a definition.

The best quality of this woman was the fact she never dared to question why the two of us never thought to make our relationship something more. Everyone always asked. The landlord of our apartment, the mailman, JW used too…he wouldn't be asking any questions anymore.

"Well I'm gonna get the waffle special." Blake smiled closing his menu and handing it to the woman. I placed my menu down in front of my position at the table. "Well, Carmella, you choose for me. Just as long as I get my hash browns." I smiled while the waitress winked at me as always. She reached for the menu and walked off towards the kitchen.

"So what's going on with the shop?" Blake asked sipping his hot coffee.

I only nodded my head mimicking him and taking a sip of my cold tea. "I have to shut down the shop without the help of JW's son… listen I don't really want to talk about this right now."

He nodded and blew away the steam rising from his mug. "Fine by me then. Hey did you pay the-"

"Electric. Yes." It was always the same. I had to be the responsible person in our complicated living situation.

"Thanks. You are a life saver."

I only made a small 'hmp' sound but stopped as soon as Carmella came to visit after putting in our orders. There wasn't much that changed since the first visit and that was probably the best aspect of experience. When I sat in that booth talking to Blake and Carmella I felt like I was 17 again, young and carefree and a lot happier than I was when I exited the doors of the G-Waffle safe-haven.

Our meal came faster than expected but then again that _was_ to be expected. See when you become good friends with your waitress she makes sure you get the freshest and quickest of your meal. I had gotten a helping of hash browns as well as eggs Benedict on a nice piece of an English muffin. Despite the grease covering both our meals, Blake and I ate quickly in silence proving that we had thoroughly enjoyed our food.

Carmella came back to take our plates and had the check in hand. "You sure there's nothing else I can get you two?" She asked as she always did. We both looked to one another and then shook with a smile. "Allrighty then, here's your ticket!" She placed the bright yellow paper on my side. Other than the first day we came to this restaurant, I was always the one that paid.

"About 20 bucks." I smiled looking at the tab and reaching into my wallet and grabbing about thirty because she deserved the 50 percent tip anyways. "Ready to go?" I looked to Blake with a slight smile and he finished the rest of his coffee.

"Leaving already?" Carmella came back picking up her money. "Oh, but this is too much…please I can't-" She tried handing me back the ten dollar bill but instead I dug my hands into the pockets of my jeans shaking my head. "You've treated us to one too many meals in the past. The least I can do is give you a tip you deserve, Carm." The woman look to me and then to Blake with a grin from ear to ear.

"You two…Thank you so much." She pulled me into a hug and I took in the scent of the bacon and sausage permanently stained on her clothes and the lingering smell of cigarette smoke. "I just love the both of you… if-" She looked to me with an eyebrow raised, "I know I don't really talk about this, but if you two _ever_ decide to get married will you please let me know?"

John stood up patting Carmella on the back, "Don't worry, you'll be the first to know. Mags?" he offered for me to walk ahead and I did so not daring to look back at Carmella.

"See you two soon!" The friendly waitress called out as we exited the building. A few of the other employees waved goodbye to us as well while Blake and I walked to the cop car in silence. After the two of us got in and Blake turned the key lighting the ignition I looked to his side in confusion to why he hadn't shifted the car into the gears to make it move and take me home.

"What are you doing?" I questioned with an attitude. He still hadn't responded, "Hello? Earth to Officer Blake?!"

"Wha?" He jumped shaking his head.

"You literally are too stupid to insult." I rolled my eyes and sat back into the black leather of the police car chair. "Just drop me off if you have to go back to the station…" I covered my eyes with the palm of my head feeling a slight headache coming on.

"Yea," He muttered moving the car backwards. "Okay then."

The ride was silent again and as much as I wanted my headache to go away, I couldn't bear this irritating stillness raging between the two of us. "Can you turn on the radio?" I asked dropping my hand from my temples. "Don't turn it on too loudly though."

Blake shook his head, "Can I do anything else for you, ma'am?" His response was full of sarcasm.

"Actually, no…but thanks for asking." I sunk further into my seat letting the sound of a familiar pop band ring through my head. "On second thought, I have a headache…can you turn it off?"

"Jesus, Maggie…make up your mind already woman!"

"Well I'm sorry!" My voice was getting louder despite the burn in the back of my eyes. "But I thought it would be better than listening to your heavy breathing! You sound like a goddamn predator or something!"

John turned his head with a smile on his lip and I mimicked him with a similar smile. "Thanks for suggesting this…" I nodded looking to the front of the windshield, "I needed that. Just with all the stuff that happened at the shop-"

"Mag, I know. I was there…believe it or not I think my end of the deal was a lot harder to bear than yours."

I turned to him with my mouth agape. "Really John? Really?!" He was about to get a tongue lashing and he knew it. "Sure. Let's see how you like it when you watch your co-worker's brains splattered on the floor. A lot harder my ass!"

"I like your ass."

"John Blake."

He laughed. "Sorry, just thought I'd get that off my chest."

"God Damnit! You can never take anything serious can you!?" I crossed my arms over my chest looking out the passenger window. "I thought I'd never see…"

I was about to say 'you again' but I decided after Carmella had mentioned us being together, I figured now was not the time.

"Never see what?" He asked placing his large hand on my shoulder. I still kept my mouth closed. "See what?" His voice was sterner the second time around.

"You." I managed to choke out holding my arms tightly against my chest. "You. I never thought I'd see you again…okay?"

John's smile grew as he turned into the parking lot of our apartment complex. He pulled into an actual parking spot and I gave him a look of confusion in response.

"I need to grab a few things upstairs." He winked turning off the car. We both exited the vehicle slamming the doors behind us with a deep 'thud' sound. "Just a few things?" I smiled walking inside the building and turning the corner for the elevator.

"Just a few."

We stood side by side staring at the silver metal door of the elevator waiting for it to open. I attempted to keep my thoughts focused on the many scratches embedded in the metal but instead I found myself distracted from the scent of Blake's cologne lingering around me and the warmth of his body heat surrounding my cold arm. It was taking every power of my free will to hold back the thought of wrapping my arms around his neck to escape the cold.

The up button no longer lit up as the door slid open with a ding. No one was inside, but that was normal. A week would pass by until I realized other people even lived in the complex, it always seemed to be so dead.

I walked in first as Blake offered me to do so being the gentlemen he was and I rested my back against the cool metal wall. John had done the same only resting his body on the opposite wall of me. He pressed the number three button causing the door to slide close once again.

This burning temptation…the pressure in my head bulging the back of my eyes, it was proving near impossible to avoid what my body ached to do. I wanted him. Why in the world were my thoughts consumed with kissing my best friend?

With the roll of my eyes, I gave into my feelings allowing my hips to buck forwards forcing my back off of the wall and striding towards John. Neither he nor I said a word as my lips hovered above his. The small breeze of either one of our breath engulfed each other's oxygen intake, sooner than later one of us would have to pull away.

But instead I planted my lips onto his own. Maybe a bit forcefully at first, but the tension in my face dimmed and relaxed after John's hands wrapped around my waist pulling me into his chest, just like I had imagined before on the first floor. My lips parted allowing my tongue to graze and taste his own. As soon as he opened his jaw I found myself escaping into the taste of mouth, still sweet with the lingering taste of the meal we had just eaten.

The elevator dinged sliding the door open to indicate our free ride was over. I could hear a small growl deep in the bottom of John's chest and I felt the same annoyance. "Time to go." I whispered pulling his arm off of my back and down by his side.

We walked in silence until we reached the door to our apartment and I quickly pulled out the key from my coat pocket and into the handle.

"Maggie." John's voice was a deep whisper in my ear almost causing my knees to buckle from the absolute sexiness from it. "I don't _have_ to go back tonight…that is…" I pushed the door open, "If you don't want me too."

I stood there taking in his sentence and then turned around as soon as I thought of the appropriate response. My insides were twisting and I could feel a buildup of hot liquid at the bottom of my panties. "Well that's the good thing about being on a salary wage," I pulled him inside and then closed the door by throwing him against the wood. "Besides, you can just get up early and do that paperwork tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

**Soooooooo, I caved into your reviews and wrote my first ever smut! *Happy Dance* Your reviews were SO inspiring and I just want to say thank you so much for believing in me! I hope it did well for your expectations! Thanks to rachelxabrahams, ZabuzasGirl, disneyylandacidtrip, Ally, Wolflihood, taiga, Tsovy, Snowy702, and easyl0ve for the wonderful comments!**

**This is just a sex chapter, so if your not all into that, skip it and wait for the next one. lol. **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"Well that's the good thing about being on a salary wage," I pulled him inside and then closed the door by throwing him against the wood. "Besides, you can just get up early and do that paperwork tomorrow.

Blake smiled for a moment and then I felt him bend down and split apart my legs forcing them to instinctively wrap around his waist. _'What a trickster'_ I thought while continuing on with our kiss. He had probably said he needed to do 'paperwork' just so that I would want to distract him from work. He knew me all too well.

With my legs wrapped around his sides and my arms clutched securely around the back of his neck I found myself venerable to John's wants. From the way he was turning I assumed he wanted me against the wall. Sure enough he did just that.

Not so hard that it would cause me pain, John pushed my back onto the dingy beige wall and before I had time to complain his lips were crashing onto my own. Panting and parting, our mouths joined together just as they had in the elevator moments before. In the midst of our kiss I couldn't help but think of the way I would regret this decision of vulnerability in the morning. I had to work at the shop…I had things to do…but kissing and allowing myself to give into his commands wiped all the worries flashing through my head.

One of his hands ran through my hair messing it even more while the other maintained a grip onto the back of my neck while pulling my face closer to him.

_'As if it couldn't be close enough_'…I rolled my eyes practically melting into the scent of his cologne engulfing my scent.

My hands slid from the back of his neck to the top of his head feeling the little stubbles of his short hair between my fingertips. Before working for the Gotham Police Department, John used to have a long shaggy style hair cut with messy bangs curled ever so slightly just before they reached his brown eyes. His old haircut made him look younger but I still missed it.

The hand of John's that used to be behind my neck had traveled down my back finding its way at the bottom of my tank top shirt. Without hesitation it began to slide in between the fabric towards the soft parts of skin surrounding my hip causing me to moan inside of his mouth for the moment. Suddenly, Blake pulled his lips away causing me to blink away my relaxed eyes to focus on a smirk on his lips.

That smirk could only mean one thing.

Before I had time to argue, I felt his hot breath glide down the sides of my throat with the added use of his wet tongue while that hand at my hip continued to slide up and underneath my bra. My neck fell back further onto the wall forcing me to close my eyes from the tingling tempting the tender skin on my neck.

I whimpered deep in my chest as John's cool fingertips found their way to graze across my breast and then gasped when I thought ice had covered my nipple. Big mistake. The shock value allowed Blake the opportunity to take on the pressure of his mouth once more. Our tongues intertwined again but this time my moans seemed to be endless as he continuously pinched and twisted my nipple.

I gasped for air turning my head to the side, "J-Johhhhnnnn." I opened my eyes to see his brown ones focusing on mine. "Now…before I change my mind."

With my legs still wrapped around his waist he wasted no time in bringing me into his room and simply carried me towards the bed. As soon as I saw the bed behind me, I dropped my legs pushing off of his body and flopping onto the cushion below.

John proceeded to crouch over top of me while planting various types of tender kisses on my body. First one on my shoulder, the next on my collar bone, one traveling up my neck and then one at the bottom of my jaw all while straddling me underneath to keep me from escaping. I allowed my panting to continue especially as his wet tongue managed to graze my cheek and then slide to my ear. He licked the bottom of my ear and then ran his tongue up to the top and nibbled gently on the outside of the cartilage.

Don't think I wasn't doing anything to him though.

When he first toppled over top of me, my hands went straight to his waistband of his pants and then proceeded to travel up his shirt feeling every ridge of muscle on his stomach. John wasn't a bodybuilder with a fabulous six-pack but I loved the way his soft skin felt on my hands while the pressure of his muscles packed more than what I was expecting.

My hands ran down his sides and then they found their way onto the waist band of his pants once more. I quickly rummaged my hands to the front and proceeded in undoing the belt from its fasten.

I felt his hands tugging up on the bottom of my tank top and the both of us released our hold on one another so the removal of the shirt would be easier. As soon as John tossed it to the side of the bed, he looked back down at me now exposed my nude bra. I smiled for a moment and then closed my eyes as his hands found the button of my jeans and slid down my pants. "Not fair." I moaned arching my back as he threw the dark wash denim underneath to the floor. "Why do I always have to be first?" I sat up clutching the bottom of his GPD grey shirt and throwing it off of his chest.

As I tossed the article of clothing to the side, I found myself entranced in the look in his eyes. Before I had time to take off his pants to expose him just as I was, John clutched the middle of my back and pulled me closer to him so that our lips would find one another just as before. I couldn't help but smile underneath his lips as he attempted to remove the clasp of my bra since he always had trouble trying to take those off.

After a few seconds of defeat, John finally unhooked the demon and placed both of his hands on my shoulders to slide my bra down my hanging breasts and into my lap. He hadn't a moment's hesitation and quickly pushed me back onto the bed with him over top once again.

His hands cupped the bottom of my breasts making sure to massage and squeeze the pleasure of the body to my liking, while he traded back and forth on kissing one nipple. The way he pleasured me was out of this world, he would start by liking and squeezing the bottom of one and then proceed to nibble at the sensitive buds of skin.

My eyes always remained closed and as much as I wanted to witness his actions, I just couldn't bring myself to watch. My moans were breathy and hidden deep within my chest as I attempted my best to not show my vulnerability towards him.

I could feel his tongue grazing down the middle of my breasts, stopping and playing around the small of my navel and then heading down towards the waistband of my panties. "Johnnnn…" I moaned sitting up on my elbows, "I haven't shaved or-" My statement was replaced by another breathy moan as he pulled down my wet underwear now completely exposing myself to him.

"Don't care." He responded griping onto my hips and pulling my bottom to the edge of the bed while he kneeled on the floor. "Relax." His smile was confident and I allowed my head to roll back on the bed while he dug his face in between my legs. At the sensation of his pleasure, my legs curled up and spread while my toes curled from the sparks flying throughout my body.

At first, my hands were down by my sides when he started to lick and suck on the most sensitive spot on my entire body. Then, they moved to the back of his head trying to take on the motions of how I wanted him to eat me out. The short stubbles of his hair were long enough for me to grip but I found myself losing control on the amount of hair in my hands the more he continued.

Feeling a bit embarrassed from the lack of grooming I had done, not saying I was a hairy bush or anything, it was just the fact I hadn't shaved in a while because I didn't have much of a romantic lifestyle other than the usual fuck or two.

My hands slid down the insides of my legs and down to hold open my lips so he wouldn't have to. Instead his hands found other things to hold onto, my ankles, my shins, my hips, even my breasts, and then eventually one of his curious fingers made their way down to the bottom of my entrance. He pressed against the wet entry taking in as much liquid his finger could hold and then pushed inside causing me to buck and moan loudly from the sense of awareness in my lower half.

My hips were bucking now more than ever as he entered another finger into my hole pressing against the walls of my skin and massaging the areas with gentle force. '_Had he always done this?'_ I wondered as another gasp left my throat as he bit on my clitoris. Before this time, we had always been drunk when we fucked…this time we were completely sober and aware of just what was going on.

As much as that phrase frightened me, it also excited me as well.

My hips were bucking and grinding against his face while my toes curled and bent inwards from the tick of my clitoris being pleasured. I was going to explode at the rate he was going. Another finger slid in and I threw my head back as I cried out from the blissful feeling. This was unlike anything we had ever done…this was something I'd remember and he knew that. He knew the fact we weren't intoxicated made this even more pleasurable and memorable.

"J-Joh- Ah, mmmh…" I moaned twisting my head on the back of the sheets, "I- mhhhmmm, I'm gonna…" my back arched from the burning in my stomach and instinctively my hands found their way onto the back of his head while I gave into the heavy orgasm.

He continued to lick until I had enough control to push his forehead away. "I- ah…I-" I attempted to say while my legs and hips rubbed and bucked from the pleasurable feeling. Then I realized he still had his fingers inside of me.

I gave him a warning look and he pressed his way to the top of my cavern and then removed his fingers out with a splash of the wetness from within. "Horny much?" He responded while I gasped from the sensation tingling across my body.

Wet.

That's all I could describe the feeling in between my legs as I propped myself on my elbows. John smiled from the fact I hadn't answered and he quickly proceeded to take off his own pants while I tried composing myself.

"I- ugh, I didn't-" I started to say while watching him turn his back to reach in his desk drawer for a condom, "That was…have you always done that?" My voice was horse and I cringed from the sound of it.

John placed the silver wrapper on the pillow and then lunged forward kissing the top of my shoulder. "Not always…" He wiped the slime off of his face onto me and then proceeded to kiss my collar bone and breast while I gave into his demands once again. Except this time I realized he was only in his boxers and with his member predominately digging into my hip, my hands clutched around the hard stick gaining a moan from the man above me.

"Well hate to break it to you…" I slid my hands down from his dick to the waist band of his boxers and pulling them off of his hips, "But I'm not one for sticking foreign objects into my mouth. Sorry." I smirked looking up at him but he only responded my biting my collar bone and sucking on the spot.

"Fine by me." His voice was gruff and instantly I slid down his underwear gaining a good look at his hard member. Being one for a good tease, I allowed myself to sit up to lean my head forwards towards him. My lips reached out and kissed the top of the head and then slid down the sides planting small pecks on his dick.

The moan alone would make any girl melt, but I wasn't like any other girl. I was different.

I continued to plant kisses down the sides of his shaft until I had my fill of the object I knew was twitching with the upmost delight of what was to come next. John wasted no time as I pulled myself backwards to place the rubber protection on his erection and then hovered above me. "Can you handle this?"

I smirked, "I think the question is can _you_ handle me?" With the end of my statement, John took a hold of my hips and slamming hard into my crevasse. I whimpered in a mixture of pain and absolute pleasure as he slowly backed out of me and then slammed inside once more. "I think I can handle ya just fine." John snickered and then pulled one of my legs up over his shoulder while the other flailed in the air as he continued to thrust in and out.

My mind was racing a thousand times a second…and yet, I thought of _nothing_.

My only focus was towards the pleasure surging throughout of my insides. My hands found their focus on the muscles entangling John's arms realizing how much stronger and sexier he had gotten since the police training Those muscles were just the perfect amount of bulk he needed before.

"Ah, oh…" I moaned throwing my head back as John shifted into an even deeper thrust while raising my other leg around his waist. Our position allowed him to fully be in control and as much as I wanted to be in control of our situation, this was certainly one of the few exceptions where I just didn't give a damn. "Oh…mhhhh. J-John…" My finger tips traveled up his biceps towards his shoulders and back, and then stopped at the bottom of his hair line. "Y-Ye-… Yessss!" My eyes, if they weren't already closed, were rolling even further in the back of my head.

"M-Mag…" John grunted leaning forwards and fastening his pace. His thrusts were starting to get shorter, and his chance of surviving any longer was slimming.

I retaliated by pulling back and removing himself from inside of me. Instead of giving a reply to John's confused and huffing statue, I turned onto my hands and knees while placing my ass towards his dick.

"Now go." I responded with a breath and a hand to my own clitoris to further my own pleasure. His hands, now warm from all the movement, roamed the sides of my hips and then pushed me inside of him continuing his thrusting motion once again.

With the combination of my own pleasure plus the added extra pounding in my uterus, I could feel my climax coming around the corner. "Ahhh…ohhh… yea…" I begged and moaned attempting my best to keep my support onto my free elbow. "Ahhhhh!...I- Oh!" I lost the feeling in my arm right after a shocking wave of force and fell onto my breasts furthering my position on John.

"D-amn…it…" He grunted tightening his hands on my waist. "Mag-gie!"

My head arched back. My insides were burning, not with pain but with total and well deserved bliss. "_Johnnnnnnn_!" I cried his name in a high pitch I often had no need to use; that tone of voice was too high of a range for any woman to be taken seriously in. "John, I'm g-gonna…"

Before I had a moment to say 'cum,' John wrapped his one arm around my waist and pulled me to face him once again. I knew why too, he wanted to see the look on my face while he worked the last few moments inside of me.

With a hand on one of my breasts and the other draping my leg over his shoulder once again, John forced his way in and out. In and out. In. Out. In. Out. In….and

Out.

I fell back onto the cushion behind gasping from the back of my throat. John, too, had also had the same breathy gasp that I had while trying to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen.

I was in total serenity lying on that bed while he backed off and stood to his feet. My knees were buckling, despite the fact that I wasn't standing on them. As a reflex, my hips continued to buck forwards while the pressure in my lower half still continued to pulsate not knowing how to calm from the non-existent thrusts. "I-mhhhhmmmm, that- ohhh…" I gasped trying to retain my composure while sitting up to watch his reaction.

He only had a look of complete satisfaction while removing of his wrapper down the toilet drain. Grabbing a towel from the counter, John dried his chest and then threw the piece of cloth to the ground while turning off the light and closing the door.

"Told you." He smirked.

I flipped onto my hands and knees once again while pulling back the sheets and climbing inside of the warmth the cotton provided on my perspirated body. "Told me what?" I commented back with a curt tone of voice.

Blake fell onto the top of the bed and then forced himself on top of me once again. "I told you," His face was close to mine; the heat from his lips seemed to radiate onto my own. The only thing separating our naked bodies from one another this time was the sheet. "That I could handle you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow! Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! Yes, that was my first time writing smut and I'm glad to see that I did well! Mission accomplished. So therefore I'll have more Blake and Mag smuts in later chapters. Special thanks to, natalieblack2, disneyylandacidtrip, BritanyJean, Wolflihood, taiga, Ally, and Lordoftheringschick2000! **

**So in this chapter we face the aftermath of their sober escapade and we discover a little of the truth why Maggie doesn't want a relationship. If you guys have any thoughts towards her reason (or if you don't like her reason and have a better one) tell me in a REVIEW! I love all of your thoughts!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

I was late.

I hated being late… Even if it was just to open the shop for our co-workers and I to do inventory on the stock. I had 10 minutes and a fifteen minute walk from my apartment to make it. My palms seemed to sweat from the anxiety of my tardiness and it became hard to open the wrapper of the cheese stick I managed to grab before leaving the apartment in a frantic hurry. Originally I wanted to grab a bite at the coffee shop right next door to JRW Suits and Ties, but that had been out of the question as I sprinted out of John's bed this morning.

After waking up in an empty bed this morning, I had a sudden burst of realization to what happened the night before and cursed at my sexual vulnerability. I was disgusted with the fact that I felt normal after seeing my friends die by being fucked like a pornstar, then again…I really needed my head cleared. If being fucked was the only way, then so be it.

The wind blew slightly and I had to react quickly to hold back the ends of my hair so that it would distract my walking pace. The streets of Gotham were slightly crowded, but then again it was the mid-morning time when jobs and stores usually opened.

Turning around the corner, my mind wondered towards the thought of finding my clothes from last night folded neatly and placed on Blake's desk. How ironic, that he would refuse to clean his room but had enough decency to fold both our clothes before I woke up. I swore I would never understand his logic.

As I picked out the melted pieces of cheddar stuck in my molars, a vibrant blue sign caught my eye causing me to double take to examine the poster in detail. Despite stopping in the middle of the sidewalk only a few pedestrians stumbled on my form but overall they kept a distance from my reading.

REMEMBER HARVEY DENT DAY

_BECAUSE WE STILL BELIEVE IN HARVEY DENT_

The infamous head shot of the DA of Gotham was plastered on the poster board as well as a picture of the collectible 'I believe in Harvey Dent' button. Dent Day was tomorrow…I thought staring into Harvey Dent's eyes.

I shook my head trying to remove the image of those hazel orbs as my feet continued along with the crowd. There was supposed to be a huge gala at the Wayne Mansion and a bunch of cops were supposed to be in attendance to support the Commissioner and the rest of the police force, but because of Blake's stunt at the shooting he was taken off the list as an added punishment.

I felt horrible remembering the evening Blake complained to me about not being at the ceremony but it wasn't like he would really miss it. The whole thing was being tapped and broadcasted on the local 6 news.

Humming a random tune silently to myself, I quickened my walk as the suit shop came into view. No one had been waiting on me, so I figured I had made it on time. Thank goodness…all that worrying for nothing.

I dug frantically into my purse to find the keys to the side of the building and placed the sliver key into the hole. As I pushed aside the door, the lingering smell of metallic filled the room even though the bodies had been cleared the day of the incident. I made sure to avoid the area where Brent had lay dead with his head exploded on the title floor but I couldn't stop my head from looking in the direction. An orange tint had been imbedded into the floor even though I was assured they cleaned the shop but blood was one of those stains that was too hard to remove.

"Hey there."

I turned my back to face my co-worker of three years. "Hey Matthew…" I nodded placing my purse on the bare countertop. "How you hanging in there?" I questioned with a soft smile. He had very tanned skin, dark brown hair, a strong and healthy body with a bright white smile and the bluest eyes I have ever seen. His charm and good looks almost threatened my own position of being JW's number one. Luckily, I had two years on him.

"Okay. I wasn't here unlike you," He walked towards my position with arms out. I embraced his hug enjoying the comfort after feeling like the weight of the world had been riding on my shoulders. He patted my shoulder in the midst of our friendly hug, "How are you doing with everything? Dealing with it, I mean."

"Good I guess…" I looked to the spot near an empty rack where JW had been shot. The cleaners must have destroyed the collared shirts that once hung on that specific rack while JW bleed to death. "I think… It's just, ugh…" I buried my face into my palm trying my best to stop the tears from escaping.

"Hey, there there." Matt pulled me into another, deeper hug. "Don't think about it," He pulled back brushing a hair from my face, "Kay?"

I nodded and then looked to the door as the bell on the handle chimed indicating someone had entered. My heart sunk from the saddening look in the visitors eyes.

"Oh hey…" Matt pulled back even further trying not to make our rendezvous too conspicuous. "How's it going Blake?"

John kept his jaw clenched as he strode in his cop uniform. "I thought you had paperwork to focus on?" I crossed my arms making sure not to lose eye contact with him.

He smiled despite the anger plastered over his face. Ever since Matthew joined the suit shop Blake had been jealous the first night Matt walked me home. "Well I have some leads on the whereabouts of the paperwork the thieves stole." He threw a manila folder on top of my purse, "I figured I'd stop by after I finished my own paperwork."

My attention focused from Blake to the folder. My hands reached out and I skimmed through the pages quickly while the two men tried to keep their conversation civilized.

"How's life as a cop?"

"Just fine." Blake nodded and then chuckled looking to the floor. "You know the best thing about being a cop?" I saw Matthew raise his head from the corner of my eye. "The fact that I carry a gun on hand everywhere I go."

"Blake." I warned softly continuing to read.

"No seriously, plus the fact I took a two week course to learn how to shoot the damn thing and-"

"BLAKE!" I threw my hands down continuing to hold the file in my fingertips. "Please, not now. We have work to do…" I walked around to the back of the register while Matt took a step back from Blake. "Do you know if Ian is on his way?"

Matthew shook his head and I changed my focus on my roommate. "Thanks for this." I waved the folder in the air and then turned my back. "Are you going to be home tonight?"

"Why does it matter?"

I turned back to glare at John. We did not need to have a fight, not in front of my co-worker or in the shop…not now. "You know," Matthew nodded with a frown, "I'm gonna go put my stuff down in the back and get inventory lists. Be back in a minute. Nice to see you again, Blake."

John nodded with his jaw clenched tighter than before. "Yea you too!"

"Blake, _seriously_?" I rolled my eyes throwing my purse underneath the counter and out of the way.

"What do you mean? I come in here and see you two!" he ran a hand through his short hair while the other hand placed on his hip, "And after last night." He whispered shaking his head slowly.

"Last night was nothing." I continued to avoid his gaze picking up the random items on the counter.

Blake clutched my wrist forcefully, but not hard enough to cause me pain. "Oh really? Nothing?" He snarled showing his teeth. "You know Maggie, when are you going to realize there are people that care about you? Just because your parents didn't doesn't mean I don't! When are you going to realize that!?"

We both stood there staring at one another waiting for the moment one of us would cave into the tension surrounding us. As much as I'd love to punch him square in the jaw, I kept my ground not daring to budge my hand from his hold. Eventually, he was the one to cave in after another moment or two. He threw my hand down and turned his back taking a few steps towards the door.

"I'm going to the baseball field. The kids have a game at two. So if I'm not home that's where I am." His voice was sharp from our argument. I was beyond pissed off at him at the moment, but there always seemed to be a soft spot specially designed in my brain for him. His statement began to repeat in my ears, '_When are you going to realize there are people that care about you?'_

"John!" I looked up watching him turn his head towards me, "For what it's worth…I really am sorry you have to miss Dent Day tomorrow." Blake nodded and then continued forward exiting the room with the bell chiming in my head.

"Is uh, everything alright?" Matthew came out from the back after a moment or two. I nodded brushing a hand through my long blonde hair, "Everything is fine." I added looking down at my hand, the same hand John had just grabbed. "Everything is just as it should be…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Heyyyyy, so I'm back. I apologize a thousand times for my absence. I was pretty much overloaded with my senior year of school and stuff but now that its dwindling down I can concentrate on everything. And also, I was blanking out because I didn't remember what came first in the movie and what not. Luckily, I have really smart friends and they gave me a link to watch it! (WHOOP!) **

**So I'd like to thank Ally, taiga, ZabuzasGirl, ks90 and the guests for reviewing! I'm really excited because now we are getting into the actual movie and the fun can begin! Hope you all enjoy and see you all soon!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Last night was a complete and epic failure of events… first, after seeing the commissioner on the rooftops of the MCU where the old and rusty Bat-Signal rotted, I thought I'd test my luck with Gordon's knowledge of the Batman and Dent. He didn't pay me any attention and instead rerouted our conversation around the missing congressmen.

After a long night and no luck in finding the rich politician, I went back home only to get the silent treatment from Maggie. I should have known my outburst in the shop would cause her to go all hormonal, but still. Women…

"Ah, well they wash up here a couple times a month or more when it gets colder 'cause the homeless find shelter in the tunnels!" The sewer control man explained to my partner as we slumped through the murky sewer water. "We pulled him from the base. But otha then that we didn't touch him!" The man jumped to a concrete base to avoid any water while I continued to look at the dead body I had been called in to examine.

Bending down at the opened gate, I looked to the boy shaking my head with a frown. "What?" My partner questioned. I took a deep breath and a sigh before I answered, "His name's Jimmy. He's at the boy's home that I coach ball at." To make my day even worse, now I'd have to go to the orphanage and explain to his brother and the other kids Jimmy's fate. Plus, finding out why Jimmy was down in the sewer was on my list of questions as well.

"Well I guess we better get going. Thanks for your call. The recovery team will be here shortly to remove the body." My partner nodded and pushed me forward through the cold smelly water. "We should head to the home. I think-"

"Already planned that. But I think I should go alone." My partner gave me a confused look indicating for me to explain myself. "Whenever I come to the home I'm in my normal clothes. When I come in my uniform they'll know something's up. I can only imagine that they'll get really upset if they see two cops though, so I'll go on ahead." He nodded and we split ways. Thank goodness he had gotten his own car this week. "See you at the station." I waved and shook my pants from the cold water before stepping into my own car.

As I started the engine, the smell of the sewer water filled my nostrils and I could only roll my eyes of the thought that the smell would linger in the car. I smiled to myself while shaking my head imagining the bickering Maggie would say when she sat in the car next. As much as she complained and nagged, I had gotten used to it by now and instead found amusement in the way her nostrils would flare and her tone of voice would change as she complained about nothing.

The drive to the orphanage was like usual. Most people would drive normally when I wasn't in their sight, but as soon as they noticed the cop car they would drive like a moron. At first, it was funny but now it was proving to be a bitch to try to pass up these scared ass idiots. But I guess when you don't have to worry about getting a ticket you can drive however you please. Well, without breaking too much of the law, of course.

Pulling into the parking lot around the back, I noticed a few of the boys stop suddenly from their basketball game to stare in fright at the cop arriving on the scene. They weren't used to me driving in my car since I usually met them at the park or walked to the house. As soon as I took a step out, however, the boys smiled and waved at me and I of course did the same back to them.

As I walked to the front entrance a few of the kids ran to the gate separating their sanctuary of a playground from the streets. "Mr. Blake! Are you here to play with us!?"

I attempted to smile and try to hide my anger from them, "Nah. Not today kids. I have some work to do…"

"Oh."

Another little boy spoke up, "Is anyone in trouble?" Of course, orphanage kids have to stick for one another. That's why I became friends with Maggie. "Nah. No one is in trouble. Go back to your game!" I nodded and then continued to the front entrance. The secretary at the front stood at first glance but then noticed who I was and waved me forward with a smile. If I had to guess, she probably assumed I was here straight from off of work. Little did she know I had a few questions for the owner.

"Ah! John Blake!" Frank Reilly smiled after opening the door to his office. "Oh should I say Officer John Blake! What brings you here in the uniform?" He sat back at his chair and I made a point to shut the door but continue to stand since I was visiting on the clock.

"Sir, I have some news about Jimmy Grant…" Reilly tilted his head in a concerned stance and nodded for me to continue. "His body washed up in the sewer cavities." The older man's eyes widened and he nodded with a frown. "I've gotten word that a few of the boys live underground in the sewer. Why hadn't he been here with you?"

"Blake, Jimmy hadn't been here for months!"

"Oh yea, why?"

"You know why… he aged out! We don't have the resources to keep boys after 16."

I shook my head feeling the lines of my forehead buckle, "Yea but I thought the Wayne Foundation gave money for them?"

Reilly shook his head once again, "Not for the past couple of years." I frowned even deeper lowering my head. Since Bruce Wayne went missing in the past few years, the status of his company did as well. I thought about Jimmy and how that money from the Wayne Foundation for young boys could have saved his life. And then I remembered Jimmy had a little brother that would come and watch his games, "He has a brother here, doesn't he?"

"Mark." He nodded his head slowly, "I'll tell him."

"No. I'd like to…if that's alright?" Reilly stood with a sigh, "Yes of course…I believe he's on the roof…follow me." As he led me upstairs, I noticed the fear in some of the boy's eyes as I walked pass them. Some knew me before, and others were just afraid that a cop was in their presence. I know because I was afraid of them when I was a kid. If only I could make them understand I am a good guy then maybe they wouldn't look at me with such a glare.

When we arrived on the roof, I noticed Mark right away because he was the only one sitting on the rusty bleachers to the side. He looked just like his older brother and that only made it harder for me to tell him. Reilly only mentioned with his hand for me to walk over and with a slow and steady stride I did so.

"Hey Mark. Remember me?" I asked standing before him.

"You would teach Jimmy ball at the park."

I nodded, "Yea that's me."

"But I don't remember you being a police man?" He looked at me up and down examining my uniform. I chuckled softly to ease the moment, "Yea. I got a new job. You mind if I take a seat next to you? I have something important I need to share with you." The small boy scooted to the right and I smiled while taking a seat next to him. "Well Mark…" I started to say and then paused shaking my head. "Your brother…Jimmy. He was found this morning in the sewers…"

From the frown on Mark's face, he already knew what that meant.

"I'm so sorry buddy, but he passed away. I know-"

"It's alright…I heard what happens when you get kicked out. You go down to the sewer."

I looked taken aback by his mature and calm statue. "Do you know what he was doing down there in the tunnels?" I questioned. Maybe he would be an important factor in trying to save the lives of any more kids meeting the same fate.

"A lot of guys just go down in the tunnels when they age out. They say you can live down there because there's work." He had pulled out a piece of chalk from his sweatshirt pocket and began to draw on the other side of me. Almost as if he was trying to forget the pain of his deceased brother.

"Work? What kinda work are you gonna find in the sewers?" I asked with an almost sarcastic tone but then changed midway to not hurt the poor boys feelings.

"Well more than you can find up here, I guess."

Looking over his shoulder I noticed the images he had been drawing. Bats. "So, you know about him?" I decided to change the subject so that Mark wouldn't feel like I was hounding him with questions. After all, I got enough of a lead to know that orphan kids go to the tunnels and get some sort of job.

"Of course." He nodded and then looked up to me with glazed eyes, "You think he's coming back?"

I turned my head to look down at my shiny black shoes and then sighed. "I don't know…" I quickly looked up at the sky to avoid his hopeful gaze and to make sure I still looked tough. I'd never hear the end of it if the kids went back saying that a cop cried in front of them. "But I hope he does one day."

"Me too."

* * *

Throwing the door closed with my foot, I silently placed my keys on the wall and then threw my jacket off onto the couch. With a groan, I knew Maggie would get mad at me for leaving it there, but I honestly didn't care at the moment.

Her bedroom door opened and she walked out with an empty plate in her hands and a glare on her face. "What's wrong with you?" She muttered and continued to walk down the hall to the kitchen and I silently watched her wash her dish in the sink facing the window. My thoughts couldn't stop rampaging in my head as I wondered how she could look so desirable in pajama bottoms and a grey tank top. It was morning after all, and morning sex is always the best…

"What time do you work today?" She questioned turning off the water and shutting the dishwasher door.

"Late." My answer was brief and I found myself avoiding her gaze as I walked down the hall to my bedroom on the left. As much as I wanted to tell her about Jimmy and all of the interesting questions I learned today, I was still hurt by her turndown a few days ago. From what I thought, that was honestly the best sex we'd ever had and I was sure she'd change her mind about us. But of course, I was wrong.

I closed the door and turned on the light sighing at the reflection of myself in the cracked mirror on my wall. "Damn woman…" I cursed under my breath unbuttoning my shirt and throwing it into the dirty clothes hamper in the corner of the room. As I pulled off my belt and reached to un-zip the fly of my pants, the door opened and Maggie rested her shoulder on the frame. "What's wrong?" Her voice was concerned but hushed.

I only shook my head still refusing to look at her while walking to the closet to find a pair of athletic shorts to change into. Hearing the floorboard creek, I knew that she had walked up behind me. "Blake." She threatened and pulled my shoulder to turn and face her. "Tell me."

"Nothing." I only grunted turning back and pulling off my pants. "Get out of my room."

She growled and then turned, "Well fine then! Be hormonal then! See if I give a damn!" She yelled backing away and then slammed the door shut on her way out.

Sighing deeply, I leaned my head and back on the wall thinking of the countless ways I could have avoided this fight. Pulling on my shorts, I walked out of my own room and towards hers. Of course, the door was locked.

"Mags… come on I didn't mean it like that."

She didn't respond. She was probably getting ready for work. Only a few more days of inventory at the shop and then she'd be jobless. Another thing to add onto our never-ending list of stress.

"One of the kids I used to coach was found face up in the sewer this morning. I went and talked to his brother at the orphanage just now…"

I could hear faint footsteps and then the click of the lock. As she opened the door I expected her usual glare but received a concerned look instead. "I'm sorry. That sucks."

"Yea, I looked at the paint of the doorframe with a nod and then looked back to her. "You ever hear of work being done in the sewer for aged out kids?"

She raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms, "No. Must be new. Why? Is that what happened to the kid?"

"I think. He aged out a few months back and Reilly said the Wayne Foundation stopped giving money towards the older kids."

Maggie rolled her eyes and walked into her room towards her closet, "Well that's what happens when a billionaire decides to live under a rock." She pulled off her tank with her back turned to me and then pulled on a green collared shirt, "I have two interviews set up at the mall this week and then three more days of inventory at the shop… hopefully with that nice salary of yours," She turned to face me while un-tucking her hair from out of her shirt, "Will cover me. After all, you owe me." She winked.

"Yea, yea." I nodded sitting on her neatly made bed, "I got ya." I watched in amusement as she turned her back once more to look in her never ending closet of clothes for a set of bottoms. All the while I had to contain my thoughts of walking behind her and pulling her close to me as I would caress and kiss her tender neck. As much as I tried to get my feet to stand and perform my thoughts, they wouldn't and instead my manhood buckled and throbbed instead.

"Did you guys ever get a lead about the congressman?" Maggie pulled out a pair of grey suit pants and then walked over to the bed to place them onto. "He's been gone since the Dent Day celebration, right?"

I ignored the thrusting feeling in my hips and nodded, "Yea. And no, still nothing…" I watched in awe as she stripped her pants and pulled on the new ones as if she hadn't a care in the world to my staring. "Mags… I just-"

"I'm not talking about us, Blake."

I cursed my predictability and turned my head to look at the carpet of the floor below. "Ya know… I just don't understand."

"I just don't want to get hurt." She responded causing me to look back at her. "Again." After hearing her say that I stood to my feet reaching my hands to grab and pull her waist to me.

"I will, never. Ever, hurt you Maggie. I promise."

She nodded and then buried her head in the crevasse of my neck. "I know... But still. I just don't want anything to happen…between us. You're my best friend. I can't lose you." She sniffed and then pulled her head up to look at me. "I really need to get ready, John." I smiled kissing the top of her forehead and let her go. By the way she would say my name was dependent of her mood. When she was angry or annoyed with me, she'd call me Blake. But whenever she was seducing or unbiased of her mood, she'd say John. "Will I see you when I get back?"

I shook, "Probably not." And then turned to the door, "Have a good day, babe."

"You too, Officer Blake."


	11. Chapter 11

**To start off, I'm pretty sure this is one of my favorite chapters just because I can see Maggie fitting perfectly in these scenes. I hope you all can appreciate, see it and love the scenes too! **

**Secondly, please review! I know I've been gone for quite sometime, but the more you review the more I will post and update. There are too many views on these chapters and not enough reviews pushing me to stay in ****Blake and Maggie world! Luckily, ****I already had this one typed up for a while so that explains the quick update! I have a lot of other stories so make sure you keep persuading me to write this one. ****Thanks to the guest and SARAHBABE215 for my only reviews on the last chapter, you two are awesome!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

I shouldn't be here. Why, oh why, did I decide that this was a good idea?! I thought to myself treading through ankle deep sewer water. "I swear, if he doesn't have a good damn reason…" I managed to pick my tennis shoes out of the murky brown water until I found myself in front of the sewer gate.

After getting home from a long and exhausting day of work, I pulled on my comfy clothes and ate dinner in front of the TV; a nice plate of left over perfectly al dente spaghetti and thick meatballs in a hearty red sauce. That was, until I received a frantic call from John stating I needed to open the gate of the sewer just around the corner while he searched the others. Before I had time to protest he claimed it was for 'a damn good reason' and that I had to hurry…

Well as far as I was concerned Blake owed me a new pair of shoes.

I bent my head down to the lock of the metal gate and then cringed at the decaying odor of the tunnels. My clothes were ruined after this experience; there would be no way in hell I'd get this smell out of the fabric. Nor would I want to wash these clothes with any of my other ones. Gross.

I bent down again trying my best not to take in the scent of the area and looked at the lock. Luckily, I had a small bobby pin in my messy bun style hair-do and I quickly used the object to pick the lock. On my second attempt, and nose full of that horrible smell, I pulled apart the chain allowing the gate to open outwards with the flow of the water pressure.

"What the hell is going on?!" I threw the pin into the water and then looked around to make sure no one had witness my break in. Well, if anyone _had_ witnessed me, Blake would hopefully be on his way soon and I could just blame my actions on him.

Looking around the area frantically for a dry spot I sighed in defeat not finding one. "Damn." My head and shoulders hung low and I had to stop myself from gagging after inhaling a large amount of the sewer smell in my mouth. "I swear Blake, if this isn't-" Suddenly from the side of my eyesight, I noticed gleaming red and blue lights and a figure running and splashing the nasty water throughout the tunnel area.

"Blake! What the hell is-" I started to yell out until I heard a strange noise from below my feet, almost reminiscent of a moan from a man. As soon as I felt a heavy sensation from on top of my shoes I squealed in horror… or maybe shock, at the wet man practically drowning in front of me. Instinctively, I reached down to pull his head from out of the water. "OH MY GOD! ARE YOU OKAY?" I shouted while attempting to reach my arm behind him in order to pat his back from the water engulfing his lungs.

At this point, I had given into the complete shock of the situation unaware that my knees now contained the ghastly water protruding from the gate and tunnel of the sewer. In all honesty though, my concern of the retched water had deceased. "BLAKE! HELP!" I screamed as he charged over to my side splashing the mud and grime into my face.

"He okay!? Hey!" He pulled the man from out of my arms into his. "Hey! You awake!? Commissioner?!" John shouted while slapping the man's face lightly to wake.

At the word, commissioner, the light in my brain began to blink brightly inside my cranium. "Commissioner?! As in Gordon!?" I panicked seeing more lights coming from the streets. "What. Happened. Blake?!"

"A-Ar-Army." Gordon murmured softly. "Un-under-ground. A-rmy…B-B-Ba-Bane…Bane!"

Blake shook his head while pulling Gordon's arm over his shoulder. He nodded for me to do the same as he explained, "Attacked. He went into the man-hole after the shooting and was attacked."

"Shooting? What shooting? And what the hell is he talking about? Who's Bane?"

"M-ma-sked...man…B-Ba-Bane. A-ar-army."

"Commissioner, you're gonna have to help us help you. We need to walk to the street. Come on." Blake commanded but the older man still didn't budge. Instead he continued to mutter the same words over and over again.

As soon as Blake and I reached the street, an ambulance had just arrived on scene and some of the EMT's ran to the three of us. "We've got him." They responded taking Gordon from our grasp and lying him down on a stretcher laid out next to us.

My body had been shaking, and I hadn't known it was until my knees buckled falling into the side of my roommate at the decrease of adrenaline. "Hey!" Blake caught me back to my position while patting my back. "You okay too?"

"No, I'm not fucking okay!" I yelled smacking his chest as hard as I could, "Where was a shooting at? Tell me what happened or-"

"At the Green Lady Bar on 9th avenue. We got a signal from the Congressman's cell phone and obviously the kidnappers didn't like that we had gotten there so easily. Gordon followed a few of the men down the sewers but there was a gas explosion so we were ordered to not go in." Blake leaned in close as the EMT's took Gordon down the street and a group of police walked from out of their cars towards our location. "I only figured he'd end up in one of the sewer gates just like Jimmy…" His voice was a soft whisper at this point, "I don't know who Bane is but I know someone that just might."

I knew exactly who he was talking about but instead of nagging him about his plan I chose to ignore it completely. "You're an idiot," I pulled from out of his arms with a scowl to fool his co-workers from our conversation, "Don't ever involve me in this shitty police work again, damnit! Never again!" I crossed my arms over my chest while a few of the surrounding police came to our aid. "And I fucking stink!"

* * *

"I have to talk to him." Blake's voice was hard as he pulled on his uniform while I watched sitting on his bed. "Who?" I questioned sipping my coffee nonchalantly.

"Bruce Wayne. I have to talk to him…"

"Blake," I rolled my eyes as he sat on the bed to tie his shoes onto his feet. "You know that's not gonna go well."

"Well from the way Commissioner Gordon was talking, this sewer issue isn't gonna go well either."

I nodded and finished the rest of my coffee. "Well then," I stood with a smile, "I'm coming too!"

"What? No, I'm going during my shift. I'll get in-"

"Please…" I scoffed with my hands wrapped around the warm mug, "There's no way in hell I'd miss Bruce Wayne's reaction when he realizes you know that he's Batman."

"Well thanks."

"You're welcome!" I stated with a proud smile while standing from his un-made bed, " Let me put on some clothes and shoes and let's head out." Quickly I rushed to my bedroom and pulled on a pair of dark skinny jeans tucked inside black boots, a black blazer over top of my red tank top I had already been wearing and my black purse. "See, ready in no time!" I smile to Blake waiting in the kitchen. He nodded and then offered for me to walk first out of the apartment.

The car ride was silent. Not a painful silence, but a silence of anxiety. "So," I started to say through parted red lips, "What are you gonna tell him? 'Oh hey, I just met you. And this is crazy, but I think you're batman maybe?!'" I smiled proud of my incorporation of that stupid song verse.

"I-I'm- I don't know…" Blake rolled his eyes tightening his grip on the steering wheel even harder as we turned the corner towards the road to the Wayne mansion. "What do you think?"

I smirked, "I think cripple or not, he's gonna kick your ass. And I can't wait to see it."

"This isn't funny, Maggie! What the hell did I even bring you for?"

I finished laughing with a nod, "Okay okay… Well I think, hmmm, just tell him about Gordon. I mean, Batman and him _do_ have a history with one another. So he would feel _something_ knowing that Gordon was put in the hospital. I think, anyways."

The police car pulled up to the open metal gates of the Wayne mansion and drove through the dirt road toward the mansion, I couldn't grasp the concept that someone actually lived in this palace. It was beautiful and creepy and charming and intimidating all at the same time. Blake pulled the car into the circle gravel driveway and then shut off the engine. "Ready?" I nodded. "Please, try not to do anything stupid." I pouted at his comment, "Let me do all the talking…"

With a roll of my eyes, I reached for the door handle and pushed myself out of the comfortable leather of the car. It was no wonder some cops were lazy. Those damn cushioned seats were too warm and perfect to get out of.

We walked side by side up the steps with Blake's thousands of key's jingling with each step he took while the heel of my boots clacked on the cement. In what seemed like a million and a half of stairs, the two of us stood in front of Wayne manor staring at the door with our jaws a gape. "Wow…" I muttered eyeing the precise details etched on the doors. "Well…" I looked to my friend shrugging my shoulders and indicating with the use of my eyes to tell him to knock.

He turned his head to the side of the door pressing the small white button ringing the bell on the inside. The sound rang once, twice, and then a third time with no sign of movement on the other side. "Did it work?" I whispered and then jumped from the door being opened inside the mansion.

"Hello there sir," The elder man smiled. He looked to me and nodded his white graying head, "And madam. May I help you?"

"I need to see Bruce Wayne." Blake commanded and I had to stop myself from smiling at his stern attitude. He must have gotten it from wearing the uniform.

"I'm sorry," The butler seemed nice, genuine, but his voice was just as stern as Blake's, "But Master Wayne doesn't take unscheduled calls. Even from a police officer." He began to shut the door when Blake opened his mouth to retaliate. "And if I go get a warrant for the investigation of Harvey Dent's murder does that still count as _unscheduled?_"

John Blake- 1, Old Butler Guy- 0

The butler nodded hesitantly and then offered us two inside. "Might I ask what your names are?"

"Officer John Blake, and this is Detective Maggie Robin." The man bowed and then offered us to wait inside the foyer of the mansion while he fetched Mr. Wayne.

"Detective?" I crossed my arms over my chest while tapping my foot on the ground. Blake merely shrugged his shoulders, "What? I had to tell him something that would make sense." I shook my head trying my best to hold my tongue while inside the mansion. This was Bruce Wayne, not to mention, BATMAN. If anything, he probably already saw us from a supercomputer that fit into the palm of his hands or something ridiculous like that.

Instead, I found myself staring off at the marble walls and the art surrounding us. "Wow," I muttered while my heels echoed through the large foyer, "This place is like a museum." My attention had been focused on a while marble statue of a woman holding a child in her arms. This woman was just so beautiful to me…

Soft hair, warm eyes, a caring smile, and a glow of radiance from her cheeks all while being made of stone. If I could have anything in the entire mansion, I would choose this statue in a heartbeat. "She's so beautiful…" I commented under my breath feeling Blake on my side.

The baby was just as wonderful as the woman. He had a glistening smile and soft curly hair while being wrapped in a blanket that just didn't want to stay on him fully. The gender could be revealed from the draping of the cloth. "I _love _this." I nodded reaching out to touch the mother's hand wrapped underneath the child's back.

"Thank you."

A voice from behind made both me and Blake jump and turn towards it. The butler had alongside of him a scraggly-looking man. At first glance, she wouldn't have expected this man to be the owner of the house, but she had seen enough of his pictures to look beyond the beard and robe to the billionaire. "Mr. W-Wayne…" My breath gasped while I clutched my heart underneath my red tank top.

"That is a statue of my mother," Mr. Wayne walked a bit closer to the two of us with his cane clacking on the marble floor. "Holding me as a child."

I looked to a blank face of Blake and then turned back to the billionaire, "Like I said…It's beautiful. Really…"

"And thank you. Again. Now," He turned to Blake with a stern glance and held out his hand for Blake to shake, "Bruce Wayne."

Blake hesitated for a moment and then reached out to shake, "Officer John Blake." Wayne nodded and then motioned for me to shake. I nodded and took a hold of his calloused hand in my own.

"Maggie Rob- Detective! Maggie… Robin."

Damn my hesitation.

Wayne nodded and bowed his head after we stopped shaking. "Miss Robin, right?" I nodded nervous. "That's quite interesting. I know a Margaret Robin that works for a suit company in the city. Actually, my company is affiliated with J.R.W. Suits and Ties… I believe she calls herself Maggie as well-"

"That's right." I bowed my head with my hands intertwined behind my back. I nodded looking down at my shoes and quite frankly too embarrassed to look up at the cunning man. "We do work with Wayne Enterprises. I've actually-" I looked up at the man with a smirk of victory on his lips. "I've actually put together four of your suits you've bought from us…"

"Ah." Wayne smiled leaning into his cane, "And how is Mr. James Washington?"

I took a step backwards looking to the side at Blake's apologetic face. "He's um…not so good…" I looked back to Mr. Wayne. "He's um. Dead. Actually…"

"Oh. I'm- I'm sorry to hear that."

"A robbery…three men. Gunmen…shot him down in front of me." I smiled despite the tears glazing in my eyes. "We are shutting down the company for now…" My smile was completely fake and all three men could tell. Yet, I continued to ramble on… "His son was supposed to take over the family business but he's sorta connected to Maroni and his thugs so I don't even know if he's alive and-"

"Maggie." Blake nudged my side forcing me to stop.

"I- uh. I'm sorry for lying. We just- Um, Blake has something…really important for you to discuss and he was giving me a ride to work and all…so…"

The reassuring chuckle from Bruce made my shoulders lower from the growing tension within. "That's fine." He raised a hand towards a door on the left. "This way if you will." I backed out of the way while Blake followed in after the butler. "Miss Robin?"

I only shook my head while holding both of my elbows in each hand. "Oh, no, it's none of my business…besides. I really like looking at all of your items on display." I smiled, "It's like going to a museum."

"Fine then. Alfred, if you would be kind enough to accompany Miss Robin?" The butler nodded and then closed the door separating the two from one another. Silence. Pure and sweet silence surrounded the butler and me until he decided that silence was no longer something the two of us could be shrouded in.

"Miss Robin."

"Mr. Alfred?"

He smiled, "Would you like some tea? I just finished making a pot for Master Wayne."

I merely shook and looked towards the elegant staircase, "No, I'm okay. Thanks though…" My hands made their way onto the smooth surface of the wood and I almost thought I purred for a moment. "I know this place burnt down a while ago, but it's still wonderful…" I smiled to Alfred and the retreated my hand.

"Master Wayne had it designed to be an exact replica of the first building. Would like for me to bring you anything Miss Robin?"

I only shook my head. "Nah, I'm not one who likes for people to wait on me. But thanks…I guess every girl should be treated like a princess at least once in her life."

"And Master Blake is not a person who treats you as such?" His British accent made him that much more fun to talk to. I shook, "We aren't together…just friends."

Alfred smiled holding a finger to his lips. "I'm sorry Miss Robin-"

"Maggie."

"Yes, well Maggie. But I'm afraid I've heard a similar statement from Master Wayne when he was younger." My eyes adverted to a corner, "But then again Master Wayne would be upset to know I've gone and told you that, now."

I giggled running a hand through my blonde hair. I hadn't showered this morning so I assumed I looked like a complete mess. How fitting, irony struck me, to be in a place like this and look like a mess…then again. Mr. Wayne wasn't looking too much like a prince either…

"That really is a beautiful statue…I only wish I had a mother to hold me like that."

Alfred's eyes became concerned as he watched me walk towards the figure once again. "What ever do you mean?"

My fingertips grazed Mrs. Wayne's cheeks. "I mean, I never had this type of tenderness before…despite being made of stone, she makes me warm…" I realized I was mumbling and jumped to look back at the butler. "Sorry…" My smile was hesitant. "I was abandoned as a baby…and then never adopted."

"And how is it that a beautiful woman such as yourself was never given the opportunity to love?"

I shook, "Guess it just comes with the territory." My shoulders hung in a defeated position. "How can you trust it…when I was never given the chance to be someone's child? I mean, how does a woman with the past of never being accepted get over it? To push the past away and hope someone will come along and treat you like a goddess?"

I was rambling again. Damn it.

"I guess I just don't want to be hurt again. So I don't allow love to come through."

Alfred had made his way to my side with that smile still fixated on his old wrinkly lips. "Love always finds a way. Even if it never existed in the past."

I nodded despite the distrust of his words floating in my mind. "I'll remember that."


	12. Chapter 12

**I got my copy of The Dark Knight Rises and I have probably watched it a dozen times now on repeat! God I love it so much! Hope you all like this next chapter because it has been bugging me on how to get it just right! Special thanks to .Not, SARAHBABE215 and the guest for reviewing! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Today was the day, the final day of J.R.W. Suits and Ties. Tomorrow, the shop would be closed for good and I would have to pray on my lucky stars that the two clothing stores I interviewed for in the mall would hire me soon. With a deep and saddening sigh, I watched Matthew as he flipped the closed sign to open and a group of customers lined outside waltzed in for our 75% off final sale.

Instead of running to the customers aids like I had done so many days before, now I only stood by the cash register reminiscing of my first day on the job. JW wasn't so keen on hiring a broke and run down orphanage teenager, but the first customer I picked up bought over $4,000 worth of clothes from the shop. Ever since then, JW never had another doubt from me again.

I looked down at my hands on top of the marble counter and held back a tear. "It should have been me…" I whispered remembering the incident, JW yelling at me to comply to the killer's actions and to Brent who didn't even stand once ounce of a chance as the men blew his head into bits.

"Uh, ma'am do you know if you have this tie in black?" A man questioned. I looked to him on my side and shook, "Everything we have is out here. Take it or leave it." I shook him away and slightly cringed by the appalling tone of my voice. It didn't matter. Tomorrow I would be jobless and I would never work underneath JW's name again…

For the rest of the morning I continued to stand behind the counter sulking and working the register for the last time…that was until the oddest looking man waltz up to the counter after being shooed away by my busy co-workers. He had nothing in his hands but a look that read he wanted some help. "Excuse me miss…" He smiled, "I have a sort of odd question… this is my first time ever coming here and I was wondering if you all had anything, in green?"

I stared at him for a moment not really sure what to think of his question, "Green?" I glanced to a few of the racks and then remembered I had placed a whole set of horrible and tacky suits in the back. We were going to donate them to Goodwill actually, "Actually we do. Follow me if you wouldn't mind."

What the hell? I might as well help one customer for old time's sake.

"What size do you wear?" I questioned as my heels clicked throughout the marble floor.

"Like I said, I'm a virgin at suit shopping. Never could afford it, or had a reason too…and I just thought since there's a sale going on, it might be beneficial to have."

"But green?" I couldn't understand his reasoning.

"Yes. Green."

Shaking my head slowly, I complied with his wishes. After all, what did I care that meant more money for me! "Okay then." As the two of us push aside the inventory door, I led him to a rack on the very far back. "Judging by your small figure this suit will be too big, but I'm sure you could find a tailor and they could fix it up in a jiffy."

"Will do." He smiled as I pull the dark green coat and matching pants from off the rack. "This work?" I asked doubtfully. He couldn't seriously want this horrid green coat suit after me showing it to him.

"Why yes! It's perfect!" He grinned taking the bottom of the coat and lying it flat to examine the details. "How much?!"

With a dishonest smile and sigh I calculated a random number into my head, "Originally it was $1,000 for the set, but I'll make you a deal. $200 fair and even." Even if that really wasn't 75% off, we were about to give it away so we might as well get something out of it!

The man released his hands from the green fabric and placed it towards my chest. "You madam have a deal!" I shook his hand quickly hoping that he wouldn't back down from our deal until we made it to the register. That was, until he pulled out a bank roll from out of his pants pocket, "20, 50, 100, 20, and 10 … there you are, 200 plain and simple!" He removed his shaking hand and replaced it with the cash. At the same time, my thoughts went incomprehensible as I watched him take the suit from out of my hands and walk from out of the stock room.

"Wait!" I hollered after stuffing the money into my pocket. "Would you like for me to wrap your suit in a bag, sir?" I offered as our customary deal.

The man smiled and it was from that angle behind him did I noticed the crooked twist in his lips, "No thanks…I think I'll take it from here. Thanks for helping me."

"No problem." I nodded but my thoughts weren't complete, not yet. "But I have to wonder, what in the world are you going to need a green suit for? That thing had been here since before I joined and even then JW wouldn't even pass it a glance?"

The man turned to me while shrugging his shoulders from underneath his brown jacket, "You just never know when something festive might be needed." He held the suit up to his chest, "Put a few red bows on it and I'd be the winner at the annual tacky Christmas party!" I had to laugh this time because his tone of voice was so cheerful and funny. Despite his coldness before, now he seemed like a really fun guy.

"I'll say, you'd win for sure. Thanks again Mr… oh wait, I never caught your name sir?"

He opened his mouth for a brief second and then closed it making my question into one of the most awkward moments I've encountered at work. When he opened his mouth again, he smiled. "Edward. Ed Nig-Nigwat."

I cocked my eyebrow at him, "Oh. Well thanks again Mr. Nigwat. I hope win your Christmas party." Ed nodded again and turned around in a weird fashion, almost as if he had imagined to turn around a cane. As the bell door to the shop chimed, Ian whistled for me to look over towards him. "What?" I muttered trying not to be too obvious as he helped his customer.

Instead of responding, Ian gave me a look I had known to interpret over the years as being his, "That-dude-was-weird" look. I nodded slightly and quickly paced myself towards the register before catching his glance again. He had rolled his eyes slightly and then proceeded to help the older man next to him and examining one of our most expensive suits.

"Damn old man," I muttered resting my chin in the palm of my hand. "He's probably been itching for a sale just to buy that damn suit."

The next four hours of my afternoon dragged on and were nothing of interest, until fiveo'clock came around and a very familiar man walked through the door of our shop.

"Ah, Mr. Daggett," I smiled walking out to meet him before my other co-workers did. I reached my hand outwards towards him and just like before he reached down to kiss my extended hand, "And what do I have the pleasure of seeing you here?" I grinned trying to hide my disgust.

"Well, I was hoping that you could possibly visit with me tomorrow afternoon. I have a proposition for you and the store."

"I'm sorry," I shook my head, "But the store is being shutdown tomorrow. It won't exist anymore."

Daggett smiled at my response, "Ahhh, but you see when you have a grand and expansive company like mine then you can do whatever you want." Still not understanding his answer he continued, "I want to keep the business alive and you all will work for me."

I smiled and looked to the others who smiled back. "Oh my gosh, really?" He nodded with a proud but fake smile, "Thank you!" I gasped.

"Now now, just come tomorrow with some of the documents and paperwork of the company and we will talk." He flashed that crooked smirk of his and then continued, "After all, how can I have my favorite suits be out of business?!"

I couldn't stop smiling and as much as Daggett creeped me out, I would work underneath this crook to keep JW store alive. "Thank you again but what time should I come?"

He folded his fingers in front of his chest, "Let's say…noon?"

"Perfect!" I nodded and held my hand out once again for him to shake. Just like earlier he reached down and pressed the top of my palm to his lips. But then, he pulled me close embracing me into a hug.

"Make sure you stay inside the shop, sweetheart." He whispered only for me to hear, "I wouldn't want you to miss our meeting."

With widened eyes and a raised eyebrow on my right side, I pulled away from the man's hug and watched him walk out the door. _"I wouldn't want you to miss our meeting?"_ I thought in my head while shaking it.

"What was that all about?" Ian walked next to me watching Daggett enter his black limo car and leave. "I'm not really sure…" I muttered shocked. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."

"What do you mean?" Ian questioned.

I shook my head slowly. "I just really don't know."

* * *

"Hey, did you hear that?" Matthew called from the windows after walking out his customer. "It sounded like gun fire!" Ian and I ran up behind him looking down the street to the stock exchange market, "Why would someone rob the stock exchange? That's just dumb?" He snickered only causing my curiosity to flourish.

I quickly turned on my heels towards the door and walked down the street ignoring the brittle wind lapping my hair back. "Maggie! What are-" Ian yelled from the door towards me, "I'll be right back. You guys stay here!"

Sure enough in the next couple of seconds I could hear sirens in the distance. And a lot of them too.

A crowd had gathered just outside the market, but not too close to it either. Of course who would want to go in towards gun fire? As my heels clicked down the side walk a few blue Gotham City Police Department cars passed me and parked right in front of the building while others gathered from the side streets.

"Maggie!" A man's voice pulled me from the building towards the street.

"Tommy! What is-"

"You need to go back inside!" He commanded from the driver seat of his car. "Go now! It's not safe. Gunmen and hostages. Go!"

I scoffed at his attitude and then nodded continuing to walk slowly towards the shop. With the turn of my head, I watched his car drove towards the stock exchange building and out of my sight forcing me to stop and turn back around towards the action. Hiding in the depths of the on-looking crowd, I examined the situation. There seemed to be some sort of robbery in the building and from the codes that the police were talking in, it wasn't an easy circumstance.

I could feel my body start to shake as I thought about the fact that Blake could possibly be put into this situation and that he could possibly be in this current state of affairs now. Worried, I pushed through the crowd, apologizing myself for moving the people aside, until I saw a cement truck blocking my view of the exchange. "How the hell did this guy get here?" I muttered under my breath as I tried to catch a glimpse of the driver. With such a big truck and no need for him to be in front of the exchange, it almost seemed too suspicious.

"Where am I supposed to move it?"

"Back it up!"

I heard two voices arguing with one another on the driver side of the truck. With a hint of curiosity and special care to make sure the onlooker cops didn't see me, I walked around the back side of the cement truck towards the passenger side. Just then, the floor from underneath my feet began to rise and I looked down in a sort of panic from the uneasy feeling.

A raised platform was growing, blocking other cars from getting into the area but also trapping the cars inside of the area as well. After my small gasp from the unexpected moment, I looked towards the cops towards the exchange building. However, my view caught onto one person in front of the truck. My feet couldn't move fast enough to block my figure from his sight as he looked my way.

"Alright, just stay in your vehicle, okay?" Blake muttered walking towards the back of the truck towards me. "What da hell are you doing here, Mags?" His strides were fast and he quickly caught my wrists before I could pull away fast enough. Pulling me into his stern view, he scowled. "Mags?"

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to know what was going on…what _is _going on by the way?"

Blake released my hand and looked towards the neatly decorated building. "The stock exchange is being robbed."

"I didn't know you could rob those." I scowled while crossing my arms. John only nodded and lead my back on to the side walk, "Listen babe, you gotta get outta here."

"But I-"

"Hell no. This is a hostage situation and so far what I've heard from the radio, this guy has killed a dozen people." My eyes widened at the shock value of the situation I had walked into. "Go home. Close the shop and tell everyone to go. This could be dangerous."

Instead of walking back like I should have done, I stood there staring into Blake's brown eyes, "But…Blake…you."

"I'll be fine. Go." He nodded and shoved my shoulder towards the shop down the street. As I walked I couldn't help but look over my shoulder every once in a while just to make sure Blake wasn't in a tight spot. That was….until I reached the shop.

"Maggie." Matthew pulled my shoulders towards him. I caught a glance at Ian behind the register and a few customers in the back of the store. "What's happening out there?"

"Hostages and gun men." I nodded pushing off of him. "Let's go through the back and get out of here. The rest of the merchandise we can donate to charities like we had planned." I nodded turning over my shoulder and locking the door.

As I walked with Matthew and the rest of the people in the shop towards the back entrance of the stock room, my co-worker patted me on the shoulder, "Is Blake out there?" He questioned.

I only frowned and nodded as the two of us walked together.

"He'll be fine. He's a strong man." Matthew reassured me.

"It's not him I'm worried about." I replied. "It's the gunmen in that building with all those innocent people..."

* * *

The very first thing I did after unlocking the front door to my apartment was turn on the TV. I had to make sure Blake and the rest of the people held at the exchange were okay. Flipping through the random channels, I finally came across the GCN news and gasped at the sight flashing on the bottom of the screen.

"THE RETURN OF BATMAN"

"Well whatda know..." I smiled plopping onto the couch and folding my arms over my knees as I watch the chase unfold on the TV screen. "It took him eight years, but by god he fucking went and did it..." I shook my head slowly and then frowned at the fact that the cops seemed to be chasing Batman. "What the-?" I muttered and then listened to the reporter calling in on the network.

"It's been eight years since Gotham has seen the likes of such a criminal, but it seems as if the police are doing everything in their power to catch Harvey Dent's murder, the Batman."

I shook my head while standing onto my heels, "Wha?" I shook looking very angrily at the television. The infamous headshot of the district attorney appeared on screen blocking my view of the chase. "And now this!?" I groaned flopping back onto the couch with a growl.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong," A female reporter asked, "It seems as if Batman is chasing after these robbers from the exchange? Why wouldn't the cops be helping him?"

"Well Cindy," The male reporter coughed, "The obvious choice in deciding who to take on is a corrupt murder. From the police reports we haven't had any confirmed deaths from the robbers at the exchange."

"Yes but haven't most of the police left the scene in order to chase down the Batman?" Cindy retorted back leaving the male reporter speechless. I huffed with a smile that at least one person in the world was on Blake and my side. Batman was a hero and it was clear that he was taking the fall for Harvey Dent in order to protect the city's fallen hero.

My eyes were glued to the tv like a child watching Saturday morning cartoons. Batman was my hero, and I wasn't going to wait around for another eight years just to see him again…even if it was only on the television. As Batman took down the green helmet motorcyclist in the middle of the East Park Side road I couldn't help but fist pump as the robber fell unconscious after a blow to the glass shield of his helmet.

Batman then looked up into the helicopter lights shining in his view to alert the police of his location. "Damnit Blake!" I gritted my teeth standing and walking over to the couch. "Fucking better not arrest Bruce! I will literally strangle him!" I couldn't help the fact that I was shaking from all the excitement of my hero but there was a part of me that was worried he would be unmasked and therefore undone.

The cops seemed to surround him like a school of man-eating sharks, but just as cleaver and resourceful as ever, Batman hopped onto his two wheeled cycle and shot down a truck so that he could drive up and onto the highway above. "Well hot damn!" I clasped my hands together making a very loud echo in the empty living room.

"It seems as if the Batman is retreating to downtown." The male reporter stated as the overhead view of my idol followed him frantically. "Which doesn't make sense since that is where the police station is located. He'll be taken down in a matter of minutes, folks, and Gotham Channel News is here to bring you the news first!"

I rolled my eyes and hit the mute button on the remote control before I threw the object at the screen instead. I smiled at the words 'mute' flashed on the bottom of the screen imagining what Blake would do if he saw the remote stuck in the middle of the broken TV. _"He'd probably have a heart-attack and die on the couch." _ I couldn't help but shake my thoughts away to pay attention to the action.

Batman had quickly turned down a dark alley with the cops surrounding his escape to the main road. A few of the officers could be seen with their bodies protected behind the security of their cars. "Where is he?" I stated aloud looking for my dumb roommate. Still not finding him in the sea of cops, I turned my attention to the dark section of the alley and then jumped when I saw a bright light emit from inside.

"Wha da?" I gasped in awe watching the giant black- thing – fly out of the alley and overtop of the astounded cops. The small aircraft flew pass the helicopter filming the whole instance and then disappear leaving the whole scene in complete and utter shock.

My smile couldn't be stopped as GCN replayed a clip of the Batman chasing the guys on the motorcycles from the robbery. I had to shake my head only imagining what in the world the reporters were lying about now. "Well on that note-" I kicked off my heels and then walked towards the liquor cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. "It's time to party!" I poured myself a tall glass of spiced rum and coke and then sauntered down the hallway towards my room with my glass in hand.

Opening the door and then not even bothering to shut it behind, I took a big swig of my drink and then placed the glass on the nightstand next to my bed. "Beware Gotham City!" I laughed at my refection in the mirror as I took off my suit jacket. "Because the _Batman_ is back." I took off my shirt and pants and began to pose in my full-length mirror.

When I finally found a pose I liked, I stopped and then smiled, "And it's all thanks to dis girl!" I winked at my reflection and then giggled turning around myself and plopping my body onto my old and worn bed mattress. "And I guess Blake helped out too…" I smiled while nudging my face into the comfort of my pillow.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello? Is anyone out there?! I see how many people view this... so REVIEW! Thanks to SARAHBABE215, Decepticon-silverstreak, and x XRoweenaJAugustineX x for reviewing recently. I hope to hear more thoughts on this update!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

I'm early… I thought brushing a strand of hair out of place in the reflection on the mirror. I had the meeting with Daggett in a little over an hour but I knew that it would take me about thirty minutes to walk to his tower in the middle of the city. In the mean time, I walked out from my bedroom ready for a delicious breakfast, until I noticed a clank from down the hall in the kitchen.

"John?" I questioned uneasily and then turned the corner to see him fumbling around the stovetop in his uniform. With a smile, I leaned into the wall making sure to fold my hands over my chest, "What are you doing, oh helpless roommate of mine?" I giggled as he turned to me with a tired look.

"Shut up. I got work at two o'clock and I only got four hours of sleep last night. "

My smiled continued as I pressed my weight off the wall and towards the refrigerator. "Awww poor baby!" I taunted him as usual.

"Shut up… and why the hell are you dressed for work? I thought yesterday was the last day of the shop."

I nodded pulling out a packaged piece of cheese and a can of sprite while flipping the tab open, "It was. Ian is taking the rest of the inventory to Goodwill. But I am going to meet Mr. Daggett for a suit consultation." I placed the can to my lips and took a sip as John raised an eyebrow curiously. "Well," I wiped my lips with the back of my hand explaining to him, "He wants to keep the business alive and I'm coming in to see his propositions."

With the can in my hand, I walked away towards the couch in the living room area where my purse had been left all night, "Well I don't know how long it's going to take but I should be back this evening. I need to get food. When will you be back?"

He turned his back towards me as he attempted to crack his two eggs he had placed on the counter. "Not sure. Whenever I get my paperwork done I guess."

"Jesus Blake, I never see you around here anymore." My free hand went to my hip and my body seemed to sink into while pressing my butt out to the side. "Didn't know being a cop would mean no life."

John chuckled half-heartedly, "Whata you care?"

With a shrug of my shoulders I nodded my head, "True." I turned to the door and then opened it. "See ya later." I responded and waited for his "Later" remark before shutting the door. Somehow I couldn't shake the feeling of his aloofness towards me and almost thought about walking into the apartment again and demanding an explanation. Then again, I needed all the extra time I had to make it to Daggett's company downtown and I am too cheap to take a cab.

With a half-hearted sigh, I removed myself from the front of our door and walked down the hallway towards the elevator.

The streets were busy as usual, but there was something extra interesting roaming around the bustling roads of Gotham. "Extra extra! The return of Batman and the conspiracy's behind his appearance plus Billionaire Bruce Wayne loses all his money!" The paperboy's cried.

At first, I was thrilled to see the public interested in Batman's return but something seemed skeptical about this information regarding Bruce… Blake and I had just gone and visited Mr. Wayne the other day. He seemed to be in a fine condition (well, besides being an aloof plush member of society). Halfway downtown I had to fork over two dollars to purchase one of the many papers roaming around the blocks.

I read as I walked and tried my best to comprehend as much information as I could while walking and avoiding the rushing people along the way. It couldn't be… It wasn't true… how?

Bruce Wayne now had… nothing?

My thought couldn't wrap around one fact that was left out of the papers…one fact that only John and I, and maybe that old butler Alfred, knew.

How was Bruce Wayne going to keep up his return of Batman with no funding?

Without even realizing it, I had arrived in front of Daggett Industries. I sighed heavily while folding up my paper, and placed the important information into my black handbag.

"Hello there, do you have an appointment?" The woman at the front desk smiled widely with her bright red lips. I nodded silently walking over to the desk while my high heels clicked against the polished marble floor. "Then please just sign this and as soon as your appointment is ready, I will inform you which floor you will ride the elevator up to."

Nodding with a slight smile, I took the pen and notepad from out of her hands and filled out my information.

"Why thank you, Miss. Robin. For the moment, Mr. Daggett is in a meeting over at Wayne Enterprises but when he returns I will inform you and your consultation will proceed. In the meantime, will you please take a seat over in the other room. There are refreshments on the counter. Please help yourself."

This woman was on my nerve… she was way to happy of a person for me to deal with at the moment. I avoided her smile once again turning on my heels and towards the waiting area.

I bit my lip noticing the fact there was no one else waiting in the room. "So I'm the only appointment for the moment…" I mumbled. "Greattttt…"

I really hoped I wasn't walking into a trap. The first time Daggett had come into the store, I nearly thought he was going to rape me in front of everyone. Now I was under his roof and rules.

"Well," I smirked sitting down and folding my lean legs over top of another, "It will be funny when Daggett is in the paper with a black eye."

My thoughts of self-defense changed into the paper; this morning's paper to be exact. I pulled out the folded news report from my bag but instead accidently pulled out my cell phone by mistake. "You know…" I thought aloud as my hand wrapped around the rubber protector. "I bet Blake doesn't even know."

I proceeded to tap Blake's contact info on the screen and hold the device to my ear while it rang. On the third ring, he answered gruffly.

"Hey what is it?"

"Well, so good to talk to you too…" I scoffed and then quickly added, "Did you hear the news about Bruce?"

He must have been confused, or just being stupid as usual, because he paused more than he should have, "Uh no why what happened?"

"He apparently is a big gambler and lost every single dime of his money. He has nothing… I wonder if it had anything to do with the stock exchange scandal last night?"

"I don't know, maybe… good thinking."

I smiled proudly. "You'd think the police would look into it but I guess they are too busy with their thumbs up their asses attempting to catch Batman."

The noise on the other line was beginning to be bothersome. I assumed he was driving in the car. "Hey now… I won't let you talk to me like-"

"Blake please don't tell me that a police officer is driving and talking on the phone? You know that you're supposed to be a law abiding citizen too."

"Talking on the phone and driving isn't against the law."

I rolled my eyes, "Well you are supposed to be a good example for others. Hurry up and get your butt to Wayne Enterprises. Daggett's secretary told me he's in a meeting there, so Bruce probably is too."

"Will do. But why?"

I sighed, "I don't know… I just have a feeling he might need help or something."

"Oh alright,"

"'Kay…"

"Well…" He awkwardly mumbled. "Bye."

"Bye!"

"Bye."

"Good-bye!" I tapped the end button on the screen quickly making sure I had the last word before our conversation ended. With a slight snicker to myself I placed my phone carefully back into the slouched pocket and then continued to unfold the paper flipping through the articles listed within.

Of course my laughter and snickering couldn't be contained with the conspiracy theories of Batman's return. They were just absolutely ridiculous, to the point I thought I might have accidently bought the Inquirer instead of real news.

Then something else caught my attention.

"Daggett industries buy out local cement companies around the city?" I thought aloud in a hushed whisper to myself. "Why would Daggett want cement companies? I thought he was a-"

"Miss Robin?"

I jumped at the sound of my name.

The secretary from before smiled. "Mr. Daggett is about to leave from his meeting. Would you please proceed to floor 26 on the elevator? Mr. Stryver will inform you what to do from there."

I stood from the chair with a forced smile. "Sure thing. Thank you."

"You are very welcome! Have a good day." She curtsied and removed herself from the room. I had to shake my head at her constant happiness. It was seriously annoying…

With the paper still in my hand, I pressed the up button on the elevator waiting for it to reach my level. When the doors opened I wasted no time hesitating for the number 26 floor, it being the top floor anyways.

"Okay… just show him the details you wrote out last night, and see what he has to say." I intended on giving myself a pep talk. "Don't be defensive if he doesn't like your ideas…well be defensive if he gets touchy-feely like last time…but even then." Now I was annoyed, I groaned holding my forehead against my palms. "Just smile."

When the doors opened, I looked around careful looking for the 'Mr. Stryver' person but instead saw no one…

The room was interesting. It had two floors just on the one floor level. There were a few closed doors on the side, a big meeting room in the back level with a desk and a couple of lounge chairs on the level above it. Where I stood near the elevator, there was another lounge and waiting space and so I took the liberty of waiting in the room.

I sighed as I sat in the plush chair, this one being nicer than the one downstairs, and crossed both my arms and legs over one-another. "And now we play the waiting game…this has not been very productive."

I don't know how long I waited since I must have dozed off even with my eyes open, but when I finally realized someone else had entered the outside room, it was already too late for me to announce myself.

"HOW THE HELL DID MIRANDA TATE GET HER NAME ON THE WAYNE BOARD?!"

I stood carefully making sure that my heels didn't click against the floor. Peaking out from the side of the wall, I noticed Mr. Daggett and another skinnier man with black hair walking beside him frantically.

"I mean," Daggett continued, "Is she seeing him? Is she sleeping with him?"

"I don't know?" The man answered.

"Oh you don't know anything do you!?" He fumed. "And where the HELL is BANE?!"

My eyes widened at that comment. "Bane?" I whispered under my breath carefully and made sure to pay attention to any details concerning this Bane person.

The man next to Daggett shook his head, "W-well we told him it was urgent…"

Daggett continued on with his rage. "Yea I bet he's-"

"Speak of the devil… and he shall appear…"

My heart stopped seeing the mountain of a man standing behind Daggett and the other man, I assumed he was Stryver. They turned to face the intruder, Bane, and the two men behind him. He had some sort of mask on his face that must have mumbled his voice like it did, but I couldn't see him very well from the distance I was located.

"What. The hell. Is going on?" Daggett fumed.

"Our plan is proceeding as expected." Bane slurred through his mask.

Daggett took a few steps towards the giant, "Really? Do I look like I'm running Wayne Enterprises?" He was being rhetorically rude to the rather large man. "Your hit on the stock exchange, it didn't work, my friend!"

The stock exchange? That was Bane? And Bane is working for Daggett… so then Daggett is the whole master mind in this game. And then Bane was the one on the motorcycle last night?

Damn… I shook my head. I should be a freaking Cop by the way I was putting together this puzzle.

"And now you have my construction crews running around the city at 24 hours a day, how _exactly_ is that supposed to make my company absorb Wayne's?"

The tension in the room was thick…something wasn't right. This 'plan' seemed to big for a spoiled brat like Daggett to be behind everything…

"Leave us." Bane commanded to Stryver.

"No!" Daggett pointed his finger at the man. "I'm in charge."

Even though Bane was as big as a mountain and probably could break Daggett like a twig, the only reprimand he gave to the entrepreneur was a simple open hand on his shoulder.

Bane whispered, "Do you _feel_ in charge?" His words caused shivers down my spine. My hairs throughout the back of my neck stood. I had rested my forehead on the wall waiting for Bane or Daggett to respond, but instead I heard footsteps walking towards me in the room.

Quickly, I attempted to find a place to hide, but found nothing. When Stryver and I made eye contact, I was afraid that he would point out my location to the others. Instead he pushed his back against the other side of the wall and shook his head quickly as if telling me to be quiet.

Daggett must have whispered something to Bane because the masked man proceeded to say, "And this gives you power over me?" The tone in his words seemed drastic. Something bad was going to happen, I could tell.

There was another pause, possibly indicating Daggett whispering once again… And in the next moment Bane responded again, "Your money and infrastructure have been important… til now."

Another pause.

"I'm Gotham's reckoning. Here to end the borrowed time you've been living on."

Daggett's voice was just a little bit more than a whisper, but all I could make out was "… pure evil."

"I'm necessary evil." Bane answered and I watched as he swiftly held Daggett's face in the palm of his hand and twist his head backwards. Daggett scream was muffled by Bane's hand, but what I did hear from the slight indication was torture.

I looked to Stryver on my left and noticed he began to walk towards the back of the room while keeping to the side of the wall and chairs. "Where you going?" I whispered in a hushed and desperate tone. If he had somewhere to escape this demon, I was intent on going too.

Stryver only shook his head and then opened a door hidden in the wall. I heard a slight click after he closed it. "Damn." I muttered and peaked my head back out from the side.

Daggett's body lay motionless on the floor with his head twisted to the back. As much as I wanted to gag from the sight, I was more concerned with Bane and his men. "Our plan is in full effect." He nodded turning to his cronies.

Now was my chance. I only hoped the elevator was still stuck in the shaft… I had to escape and warn Blake about Bane. Tell the police that Bane was in fact a real person, and not some myth Gordon had been rambling about after the night I found him washed up in the sewers.

Bane and his men looked like they were leaving from the side they entered, so I hastily hopped over the wall and reached out for the elevator button. Of course, not thinking, I realized my heels had made a horrible clatter informing the men I had witness the event.

The elevator dinged open, just my luck.

But the men noticed me. Also, just my luck.

"Shoot her!" One of the men yelled and I ducked just as a round of bullets entered the wall I had been hiding behind the entire time. I squealed capping my hands over my ears and then slammed my hand down on the floor 1 button. The doors closed as I heard running footsteps.

"Oh thank god…" I exhaled resting my back on the cold metal wall. "Ok, all I have to do is call the police." I pulled out my phone from my purse and then stomped my foot on the floor realizing I had no service in the elevator.

"Damn. Of course… well I'll call when I get out…" I thought about walking off the elevator and that annoying woman attempting to greet me.

Then I thought about her safety in the building with Bane still here. I sighed, "It's a good thing I'm a nice person." I shook my head figuring if I didn't warn the woman I would never forgive myself.

I looked at the light up number smiling that I only had five more floors to travel down. With my cell clutched in my hands perfectly and my body right in front of the steel doors, I keep my racing thoughts patient by tapping the heel of my shoes on the floor.

The elevator stopped and opened slightly allowing myself to exit. Something didn't feel right… the front desk woman was not in her position. I looked around the grand room and noticed not one person in the midst.

"Hello?" I called out walking towards the desk. "Hello!?" I asked concerned approaching the desk. "Hell-" I gasped as I looked down at the woman bleeding on the floor. She had four bullet holes in her blouse surrounded by pools of blood.

"Oh my god." I shook, and then looked around the room noticing the men surrounding the marble stairway across the room.

I attempted to turn around when a man pulled my hair and threw me to the ground. I could feel my knee scrape through my pants as soon as my hands connected with the floor. Without another thought, I grabbed the handles of my purse and swung into a defensive stance. "Back off you-" I started to say until I recognized the face in front of me. "You…" I shuddered.

It was the same blonde man that came into J.R.W. Suits and Ties, the one that shot and killed Brent and JW. Then my anger condensed in my face and I snarled. "You're the bastards!"

I had dropped my purse and jacket with my hand balled into a strong fist. "You killed them! Brent and James Washington! You fuck-" I was about to test my strength against the leader's cheek when my hand stopped just before his face.

Something was holding me back. Actually, _someone_ was holding me with a strong hold of their hand around my elbow. "Naughty." The familiar bloodcurdling voice echoed through my ears. I grunted feeling my back hit the floor and winced at the tenderness of my back since the robbery.

I opened my eyes at the robotic voice not exactly sure what to do or say. It was in that brief millisecond that I could observe every inch of this killer. He seemed to have some sort of voice-box gag in his mouth, the only visible part of his face were his eyes…eyes focused on me not doubt. His stare narrowed and I groaned once more feeling my arm twist underneath his grasp. "And just who, are you?" He questioned softly.

I gasped trying to hide my pain from him. "M- …Maggie." I attempted to be defiant but knew I had failed miserably at doing so. "Who are you…_what_ are you?" I questioned and then felt his grip loosen on my arm.

"I'm Gotham's reckoning." His eyes smiled, in a sense, and he leaned back into the heels of his feet as I attempted to sit up.

"And what does _that_ mean?" I found myself observing the muscles surrounding this man's neck, shoulders, and arms. No doubt he could kill me in a second… I just watched him do it to Daggett. So why was he toying with me?

"It means…" He breathed reminding me of Darth Vader imitations I used to do when I was a kid, "The games are about to begin."

"Batman will stop you."

He nodded at me, "Batman? I am counting on it." He wrapped his giant hands around my shoulders and picked me back up to my feet. "You believe in a man that runs around in a costume all night?"

I nodded not even daring to lose eye contact with him. "Yes." I paused and then sneered, "From the looks of it you're doing the same." His grip on my arms tightened and I felt my spine snap and crack into place.

I probably shouldn't have said that.

"You…" He breathed once and then twice. "Do not…fear me."

"No."

The look in his eyes brought chilled my arms but I defiantly told myself to show no weakness. I could only stare back into his gaze.

His fingertips ran up my neck towards my cheeks rubbing and grazing the skin on my face. I instantly felt the chill of his damp skin on mine causing me to almost fall weak to the tender and feel of his fingers on my flesh. But something very familiar crossed my mind as he continued to examine my face. The smell of him surrounding me was similar and yet odd…he smelt like the sewers.

I flashed back to the other night that Blake and I rescued Commissioner Gordon. That god awful smell…it was on this man too.

"You do not fear death…do you?"

I smiled once again trying to hide the fact I was uncomfortable with his hands on my face. "No." I could have sworn I saw a smile underneath that mask, but I'll never know. He pushed me to the side and pointed to the doors leading to the street. "Go. You will die with the rest of the city then."

I picked up my coat and purse while the guard men watched me walk pass silently. "Perhaps…" The masked man's voice echoed. "We will meet again, Maggie. Only time will tell."

I nodded with a glare and then quickly paced myself towards the outside. As I entered the threshold something raced through my mind. It wasn't a thought of mine, but merely an echo. He wanted me to hear this…he wanted me to be afraid.

"Follow her!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! I have a long update for you all this time and I am literally about to start (right now) on the next couple of chapters so I can finish this story ASAP! For now, you'll just have to read this one and enjoy! Make sure to review as well! Special thanks to Marianne 16, MutiaRAWR, cutepenname, and Deppster34 for the most recent reviews! Hope to hear from you again!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"Follow her!"

I wasted no time walking out of the door to the streets of Gotham ignoring the fact that I looked like a complete mess.

Not only was my hair messed up from that man grabbing me, but also my coat jacket was slung messily in the corner of my elbow while I kept a death grip on the handles of my purse instead of carrying it around my shoulder.

I had to get away. I had to go home. These men were after blood no doubt, and although it seemed that I had avoided my demise for the moment, Bane clearly knew that I had witnessed his murder of Daggett.

Turning my head slightly to the side, I could see from the corner of my eye three men of Bane's casually walking out of Daggett's building following behind me through the dense crowd.

"Shit." I muttered ducking my head towards the ground as my heels clicked furiously against the pavement. I was probably Gotham's best fast paced walker in high heels. Despite the pain blistering from the bottom of my knees down to the start of my ankles, I continued to brisk down the sidewalk.

That was, until something light and wet chilled my exposed shoulders in the next second. I groaned looking up at the dark clouds above me. "A storm is brewing… just fucking great." I moaned walking a bit faster knowing the apartment was just a few blocks away.

Wait a second… I can't go back home!

I paused abruptly turning my head to see which path I should take. I quickly looked to the right and continued down the street while thinking of the next place to go. If I had gone home, they would have just followed me there and Blake would…wait! Blake!

I thought biting my lip realizing I was headed in the opposite direction of the police station. At least if I made it to the station I'd be surrounded by cops and I could wait out the men stalking me until Blake got to me.

Quickly I glanced in the clothes store I happened to be walking alongside horrified at the reflection behind me. The men were still the same distance away as they were when we started this escapade but now they seemed to be picking up on my tail.

The small rain droplets suddenly became heavier and faster as they began to pitter-pattered against my cold and wet flesh. My hair was beginning to bunch into clusters and my shirt sticking onto me like a second skin. This was going to be a heavy rainfall and if I didn't get out of it soon not only was I going to be drench from head to toe.

The worst part of the whole ordeal, I realized crossing the sidewalk with the small crowd alongside of me, was the fact these men would not discontinue following me due to a little water. They lived in the sewers, right? What harm would fresh rainwater be to them?

I looked both ways quickly with a sharp turn of my head before crossing the street once again. Cars honked at me as they passed through the intersection, upset that I was not abiding by the pedestrian crosswalk light. I still didn't care.

My paced hurried. The clothes stuck even more to my skin, weighing me down with the extra amount of water the cotton fibers held. My breath was increasing with each pounding step my high heels took and the burning pain seemed to ignite more in my sore shins.

_If I crossed through the next block and turned left and then took another left, I could be back on the road that will lead me straight to the station…_ I thought to myself.

The people on the street were diminishing… the rain causing them to stay safe inside. Looking back, I gulped seeing the three men a little bit farther behind but still following my trail.

"Crap." I muttered looking ahead and noticing the road I needed to go down being blocked off for construction. "Shit… fucking shit to hell…" I turned to the left much earlier than I needed to, in the hopes that I could cross and make it to the street that I needed to be on.

Only as soon as I walked down the road did I notice the type of neighborhood I had gone down. "You've gotta-" I looked behind myself seeing the men round the corner.

Literally, not one single person strode down either side of the block. But realizing which part of the city I was traveling down, someone in sight would only cause more trouble.

Blake warned me about 17th Street. Drug dealers and middlemen of the mobs worked down here. Yes, even though the Dent Act got rid of most of the Mobs goons, there were still the few bunch that roamed Gotham.

And now I was in their territory.

I could only think of three options as the rain fell violently on my soaking wet body.

1. Either attempt to call Blake and hope he could rescue me from the street and the men, 2. knock on one of the doors and hope no one would kill or hurt me, or 3. Run!

Looking once more out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the men deepening their strides towards me. My only option now was to bolt…

With a deep breath and a hard grip around my purse, I ran… I ran as fast as my high heels would allow.

I didn't care that the rain blinded me or that it froze my skin to no end. I didn't care that I had dropped my suit jacket on the ground behind, I didn't even care that my heels dug into the back of my ankle blistering the wet skin.

I had to make it out so I could warn the others.

By the pace I was running, I was quickly going to make it out of the street towards the alley that would lead me to the correct street I needed to be on. And hopefully, there would be concerned peoples that would help… hopefully.

I looked down the road and then dashed down the asphalt towards the alley. There were, of course, trash cans and garbage bags down the small corridor threatening to trip me but by some miracle I managed to hop overtop or avoid the items.

My fast paced momentum was becoming hard to stop as I neared the edge of the alley but I could hear the grunts of breath of the three men right behind me.

My heels clacked against the pavement. The momentum of my feet wouldn't stop and the difference of sound from cement asphalt rang in the part of my brain that warned me of danger. But by this point it was too late. The light headed towards me grew with each step I took.

That was until I realized the car had stopped two inches away from my body.

"Maggie?!" A man yelled after opening the driver door. I attempted to wipe the rain from my eyes but the light from the car seemed to blind me the most.

The man ran towards me, "What the hell are you-?"

"Tommy!" I realized who the man was and clutch my hands around the front of his uniform. "Tommy! Please!" I begged as my purse fell to the ground.

"Yea yea, what's-?" He placed his hands around my wrists and then looked to the alley I had just run out of. "They after you?" He frowned removing his hands from mine and clutching the gun around his waist.

"Please, just take me to the station. I have to… I just. Please!" I shook him away from the men. They turned around anyways as soon as they realized I knew whom the cop was.

"Okay okay…" He placed the gun back and patted my back. "I have a blanket in the car. Come on." He bent down quickly clutching my ruined leather purse in his hand as I nodded. He smiled briefly and then led me around the front of the car to the passenger seat and opened the door for me. "Good thing I already had the heater on." He smiled as I sat and then slammed the door shut.

My body had been shivering violently at this point, but I wasn't concerned with that as much as I was looking back into the faces of the three men that were following me.

They were smiling at me. As much as I knew I had escaped from them my thoughts were wrapped around one thought.

Bane…

He was the one behind everything and I only knew it was only going to get worse from here.

"Okay…" Tommy sighed sitting in the car and slamming the door, "Here's the-"

"Please, can we just go?" I demanded as he reached for the blanket in the back seat. Unlike Blake's car, Tommy didn't have the cage separating the criminals in the back seat.

"Um. Sure." He placed the blanket overtop of my soaking pants and then shifted the gear of his car into drive. I unfolded the warm dark blue fleece blanket and huddled myself inside it with a sigh. "So… who where those guys?" He asked not daring to look at me.

I shook my head as I looked out the window biting my lip. "I-I don't know." I muttered.

"Well ya know, the road ya came out from was 17th. Ain't you been living here forever? You should know that-"

"Tommy!" I snapped forcing him to silence. "J-Just…" I rubbed my right temple, "Just please be quiet. I don't know why those men were chasing me, but they chased me all the way to 17th. Now please, just drive to the station while I thaw out."

He nodded once more and reached for his walkie-talkie in the middle console of the dashboard. "Unit 385 calling in a possible 217… victim female and with me right now. On route back to Alpha."

The device beeped back and then a scratchy man's voice confirmed the call in, "Roger that." It was the same voice that called in on Blake's phone as well. Sometimes when he would get home from work the device would sound off and Blake would quickly turned down the volume so that I would not proceed to tell him to shut it up.

"Hey, you guys know if Blake's around there?" Tommy asked with a slight smirk glancing briefly at me. I proceeded to avoid his look and instead placed my shivering hands towards the air vent blowing out hot steam at me. I sighed in relief feeling the blood rush back in my fingertips.

"I think he is…" Another different voice responded. It must have been one of the officers listening in.

"Yea," Another voice sounded. This one I could recognize as being Stiller's voice. "He's been in his office since he dropped off that crap at the hospital to Gordon. Why you want him?"

Tommy chuckled before beeping in his message, "Picked up a little something for him. ETA 10."

I rolled my eyes after feeling some warm cascade through the numb feeling throughout my body. He still couldn't get over the fact Blake and I weren't 'together' even though we lived with one another. "How's the Commissioner been?" I decided to change the subject.

"Oh you know… he still thinks there's some crazy army thing in the sewer. Me, I think he hit his head a little too hard after going in that man-hole."

"You were there at the shooting with Blake?" John had explained the full story of the shooting with the missing congressmen. Apparently Gordon went to chase after the shooters when a gas explosion stopped the rest of the officers from following.

Tommy nodded with a smile, "Yea that damn hot-head. After that explosion the crazy fool wanted us to go down there. Then he ran off and next thing we all know, Gordon washes up in a sewer drain. Idiot…"

I nodded and proceeded to hold my tongue from arguing with Tommy. After all, he was helping me. "Yea."

Even though I looked out the rainy window of the car, my thoughts focused on the night Blake asked me to save Gordon. Now realizing he asked me save the Commissioner instead of his friends made it seem like I was secretly one of them… maybe even better.

The station was about two minutes away as Tommy turned the car down the corner on the right, "And now the Batman's back…" He sighed. I perked my head up looking back at the man. "And we are in a whooooooooole ass-load of paper work now because of it. I fucking hate that guy…"

"Why?" I defensively responded. "I watched the news coverage of that last night. He was trying to stop the robbers." I attempted to keep my voice calm but stern. "And then the police stepped in a let the criminals get away."

Tommy lifted a hand off the wheel pointing a scowling finger at me, "He can't just kill the DA and get away with it. Harvey Dent was the city's true hero."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, everyone had been brainwashed to believe the Batman was bad just because he killed someone…if I knew the Batman like I thought I did, I'd say Dent's murder was set up by Joker or something.

"If I get the chance to see Batman," Tommy continued as he drove through the gate of the Gotham Police station, "I will shove my foot so far up Batman's ass they'd end up calling him, Ass-Fa-"

"All right, that's enough!" I shot my hands on either side of my face enraged by his threats. If Tommy was charming before, now he was the epitome of the rest of this stupid city. "Is there food in the station?" I wondered feeling my stomach gargle.

"Oh yea," Tommy sniffed attempting to take control once more on our conversation. "There's a cafeteria and everything. I'll buy ya something."

I shook my head while clutching the soaked leather handles of my purse and replacing the blanket down by my feet, "That's alright… I just need like a water or something…"

The car stopped underneath the underpass leading to the side of the station where the police would enter. I only figured this bit of information after seeing as two police officers assisted a man in handcuffs inside the front entrance.

Opening the door, I was rudely awakened with the harsh cold breeze of the windy storm. It was getting colder, about the mid-fifties today, and soon it would become even colder. Wintertime.

As soon as my heels hit the pavement, I felt the ache of every bone and muscle in my legs after my excursion. I supported the rest of my weight on my arms while attempting to push myself out of the seat. But unfortunately failed miserably towards the pavement.

"Oh geezus, Maggie!" Tommy slammed the diver side door shut running to my aid. "Hey, let me help ya, huh?" He muttered as I tried to swat him away. "Ya know you're just as stubborn as Blake."

I chuckled despite not being able to feel my chest from the brittle wet wind, "That's where I get it from. I had to put up with him for so long…"

Tommy smiled back and then turned his head towards the door. "Hey you guys! Come help me out will ya!" Two frantic officers rushed out of the door towards us.

"Hey ma'am you alright?"

"Geezus Maggie! What da hell happened ta ya?!"

I looked up seeing a concerned Smith and an officer I didn't recognize. "I'm fine…" I lied while the men helped me up. I tried to force myself from getting entangled in one of their arms. That's just what I wanted Blake to see as I entered the station… the fact I was too weak to walk.

"Here, lean into me…" Tommy held my waist while Smith wrapped his jacket around my shoulders. The other officer proceeded to hold my purse in his hand while making sure nothing spilled from my fall.

I nodded and then realized the burning sensation in my feet. Before taking another step further I pointed to my toes. "I seriously cannot walk another inch in these shoes. Would it be possible for me to walk in without them?"

Tommy smirked holding back a laugh, "O course. Ross, take her shoes will ya?"

The officer I didn't know nodded quickly and bent down gently sliding off my ruined black heels. In order to distract myself from the blistered pain in my feet I questioned the man, "You're Ross?"

"Yes ma'am." He hissed after removing one shoe.

"You're Blake's partner, aren't ya?" I closed my eyes attempting to forget the horrible pain in my unconstrained foot.

Ross hissed once more after gently sliding off my other shoe, "Why yes I am." He stood holding the heels behind his back, probably so that I wouldn't cry over the condition of my shoes. "You're his roommate, right?"

Tommy lead me forward slowly with Smith at my other side and Ross next to Tommy. "Yea…" I hissed feeling the cold and wet pavement on my burning feet. "Unfortunately, I admit it."

"He's a good guy." Ross added attempting to distract me but I wouldn't let him. Looking down at my feet, I understood the reason why Ross had hissed after taking off my shoes.

Not only were my toes bleeding from the popped blisters and cut skin, but also bruised to a purple and green color around the areas that the heels made too much contact with my fat bunions and heels. "Just fucking awesome…" I muttered just before the guys walked me fully into the door.

"Oh my goodness." A woman standing behind the desk squealed. "Here I'll grab a wheelchair and-"

"No!" I shook my head pushing off of Tommy's grasp. "I'm fine…I was just really freaking cold and my feet hurt…that's all." I placed my arms through the holes of the jacket. "Smith you mind me borrowing this for a little bit?"

He smiled, "Not a all Mags."

"Well Miss, you should really reconsider. In your condition-" The woman attempted me to sit in the damn wheelchair once more. As if I was a fucking cripple or something.

"I said no!" I snapped and then held my hand out towards Ross, "Can I have my belongings back now? Thanks for holding them."

Ross hesitantly looked between Tommy and Smith, but reluctantly placed the handles of my bag around my arm and the shoes in my hand. By the looks of the heels, they were complete garbage. Instead of being black like they were at the beginning of the day, they had turned into a scuffed mess while the inside soles were completely bloody.

I handed the shoes back to Ross, "Never mind, you can just throw these out." He laughed at me but it was Tommy that took them from my hands.

"Officer Demetrio, is this the 417 you called in?" A man wearing a brown trench coat walked down the hallway. I noticed all the guys and even the woman from the desk standing a little bit straighter.

"Yes sir, Deputy Commissioner Foley." Tommy answered. "I ran into her being chased. I assumed it was an Assault with intention to kill."

"Assault?" I questioned and shook my head. As I did so, small droplets of rainwater splattered from my still wet hair. "No, no, they were chasing after me… I'm not really sure if their intention was to kill or not…"

Foley rolled his eyes, "Whada think assault means, sweetheart? Follow me…" he turned his back for a moment until Tommy coughed catching his attention.

"Uh, sir, Margaret Robin here is actually good friends with Blake… I was taking her to see him," Tommy looked to me and then back at Foley, "Like she asked me to."

Foley smiled menacingly and then waved his hand for the rest of us to follow without another word. I looked towards the guys and then continued following alongside of them.

We walked down the corridor silently while small beads of water pattered off of my clothes and hair while my bare feet slapped against the tile floor. Foley turned his blonde and greying head towards me with a scowl. "What kinda ruckus were ya getting into then? As I remember you were the girl involved in that shooting a couple of months back at that suit store, correct?"

I contemplated responded for a moment or two while glaring back at his scowl. A small nudge from Tommy proceeded in my answer, "Yea. That was me. Thank you so much for all your concern…"

Ross chuckled for a second but then changed his laugh into a violent cough. "I see…" Foley rolled his eyes as both Ross and me and then turned the corner towards a room full of cubicles and a office door marked _Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley_. "Demetrio, Ross, Smith, leave us." He pointed to each one of the men. "Miss Robin, step into my office."

I looked towards the guys once before entering through the threshold of the room. "Have a seat, Miss Robin…" Foley walked pass me after shutting the door behind my back and then proceeding to take off his jacket on the coat hanger next to his desk.

"Am I in trouble?" I questioned sternly while sitting down. I made sure to button Smith's jacket around my torso in the event this creep was trying to seduce me or something. By that snake-like grin plastered on his mug, I wasn't in too much of a trusting mood from this ass.

"I just have a few questioned I need to ask." Foley sat at his desk while folding his hands on the top. "Seems to me like your getting too involved lately in our system. A robbery with murder, then commissioner Gordon's apprehension, I even received a call about you and Blake forging your identity as a detective at Bruce Wayne's, and now this little shin-dig."

I frowned my eyebrows at him. "I'm sorry… explain to me how a code what-ever the fuck it was- is any of my fault. I just happened to run into Tommy and it's a damn good thing I did or-"

Foley stood by the defensive tone in my voice, "So far over the past couple of months you've been aiding in helping Blake with his duties. Either stop getting involved or sign up for the academy, sweetheart, because this has to end."

I frowned.

I scowled.

And I proceeded to shoot him with a lazer-ray in my head about fifty times now.

There was a knock on the door causing the both of us to turn our heads at the source. "Who is it?!" Foley yelled unfolding his hands and leaning back into his chair.

The door squealed open revealing my enraged roommate. "I'm sorry, but is there a problem, Deputy Foley?" John strode into the room walking by the chair I sat on. The two of us refused to make eye contact with one another and instead forced our eyes upon the man behind the desk. "Because if there is then-"

"Take your girlfriend out of my office to be further questioned." He waved his hand in the air. "And reminded me, once again, to keep hot-heads out of detective affairs. Both from our office and civilians."

I continued my sneer at Foley until a hand yanked my arm out of the chair. "Ow!" I whined to Blake under my breath but stopped by the agitated frown on his mug. "Okay. I can walk now…" I threw my arm out of his grasp as he shut the door.

The two of us exchanged a quick glace at one another before Blake walked pass me towards the room of cubicles. I looked to the man on my side realizing it was Ross still standing there with a look of guilt on his face. I parted my chapped lips to speak to him when Blake called my name.

"Yea?" I walked to the third cubicle on the right looking like a complete mess in front of him. My clothes and hair were still sopping from the rainwater plus the fact I wasn't wearing any shoes only added to the mystery of my assault, as Foley called it.

"Come sit." He pointed to the swirly chair next to his own. His cubicle was small, but held enough room for three people to fit comfortably. With a nod I placed my wet purse on the side of the entrance and sat next to him.

The next few moments of silence were probably the most awkward moments I've ever encountered with John; even more awkward than the next morning seeing each other after a night of regrettable kinky sex.

He sighed and then rubbed a hand through his short brown hair and then shook his head looking at a bunch of files on the computer screen. "What…" He started to say and then paused sighing even harder.

Instead of responding again, Blake turned to me. His face was stern, probably the sternest I've ever seen him in the eight years I've come to know this man.

"What. Happened?" His voice was only a whisper in my ear, while his hand seemed to slide up my wet thigh towards the inside of Smith's jacket and to my waist.

I sniffed, still avoiding his glace by looking in the direction of the bulletin board above his computer. "I…I just…"

Suddenly the walkie-talkie buzzed, "Code 187. Two victims; one male the other female. Both found near the alley on 4th and 23rd."

_That address…_

My head turned to the radio on the desk in a panic. _Daggett… that's where Daggett's company is and-and-_

I gagged for a brief second but quickly covered my mouth in a panic I would actually puke on the table. Placing my head in-between my knees wasn't calming Blake down but it kept me from throwing up what little was left in my stomach.

"Mags! Maggie, what the hell is-"

"I know who it is!" I sat my head up looking at Blake with tears threatening to roll from my eyes. I whispered firmly at my next sentence, "I know who…it… is…"

Blake leaned in carefully while turning down the radio, "Who? Are these the people that assaulted you?"

I nodded my head slowly while wrapping my arms around my waist still in Smith's police jacket from earlier.

Blake rolled his eyes, "Well what happened? I have to make a note of your situation in the system anyways." He rubbed my shoulder tenderly.

"I was-" I sniffed a huge snot bomb from rolling out of my right nostril. "I was at Daggett's… the meeting…"

He nodded attentively as if his usual police mode was kicking in. Just like when he questioned me after the robbery.

_Wait a second! _I thought to myself. _Those guys were the ones that killed JW. So that means Bane- oh shit… BANE!_

I looked to Blake horrified at my discovery. "What happened babe? Come on you can tell me anything…"

"Blake." I hushed his name and then looked around the outside of the cubicle to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. "Blake… I don't know what's going on here but whatever it is, everything is connected."

John shook his head slowly not understanding the full severity of our situation.

"And it's only going to get worse from here on out…"

"What's going to get worse? What the hell is happening?"

I sighed and then pulled my arms from around my waist to gently placing my hands on his knee next to mine. "Daggett is the one dead… I watched him die. He and the over-friendly secretary are the bodies the radio just called in."

"Oh shit…" John ran a frantic hand through his stubbly hair. "Who-?"

"It's just like Gordon said… The army. The underground sewer army…" I looked up from John's lap into confounded brown eyes. "It's Bane… I saw him."

John heaved another sigh and held my hands in his. "You saw?"

I nodded softly, "The whole thing. Daggett was the one forcing Bane at the stock exchange. He said that the 'hit' was done so that Daggett could take control of Wayne Enterprises but I guess Bane was just using Daggett…"

"Okay." John patted the top of my hands carefully. "I'm taking you home. You're going to tell me the rest in the car… I don't want Foley or the rest of the guys getting involved."

He stood from his chair and scooted carefully out of the cramped corner of his desk. I too, stood up but slower than John's abrupt stand.

"Hey, Blake?"

John and I both looked to the figure standing at the entrance of the cubicle. It was Ross.

"Hey man, Mags and I are about to leave. I'm going to take her home."

Ross nodded, "Oh, okay. I was just stopping by to ask you if you ran those papers to Gordon at the Hospital."

Blake stopped dead in his tracks. "Aw shit…" He muttered wiping his face with his palm. "Crap. Maggie called me when I was on my way to do it and- shit. I got distracted…"

I shrugged while unbuttoning Smith's jacket. "Sure, always gotta blame me huh? Here Ross, can you take this back to Smith?"

Ross chuckled softly obviously understanding my pain from working as Blake's partner. As I handed him the dark navy blue jacket, Ross frowned both his smile and eyebrows. "What happened to ya arm?"

Confused, I looked down at my extended hand and traveled my way up to my shoulder. _Bane…when he grabbed me_. The memory of the masked vigilante stopping me mid-punch and throwing me to the floor flashed through my head. "Oh. Well it-"

"Those guys hurt cha?" Blake fumed. I noticed the vein in his forehead bulge. I only nodded aware to the fact that I could not reveal Bane's presence to Ross just yet.

"You want me to get the medics?" Ross offered to both me and then to Blake. "You sure? Are ya pressing charges against them? Who where they?"

Blake waved a hand at his partner trying to cease his questioning until I spoke up for myself, "I'm sure, thanks Ross… but no I'm not going to press charges. After all, they got away and I doubt I'll see them again. It was just a good thing I ran into Tommy when I did, I guess…"

Ross nodded and then forged a smile, "Yea it sure is. Well then, I guess I'm heading out too bud. I got the 187 call, wish me luck."

As soon as Ross turned to walk down the corner, I noticed Blake bend down reaching for his belongings and mine once more. "Here." He stood with an identical police jacket in his hand.

"Yours?" I took it from out of his hand and wrapped the warm cloth overtop of my cold and still damp shoulders.

"Yea. Come on, let get outta here."

I followed John's lead down the hallway leading towards the front entrance I had just entered from minutes ago. "Wait here." John sternly demanded before walking out the glass doors, "Ima get the car and bring it up here!"

I moaned watching him run through the rain without a jacket. "Dummy…" I turned around facing the lady at the front desk with a sulk. She attempted to refrain from catching my eye but failed miserably. "I'm sorry about your shoes." She offered me about the lamest apology I've ever heard, but I nodded nonetheless.

With a turn of my head towards the parking lot, I noticed a police car zooming towards the undercover. "Thanks for your help earlier… sorry I couldn't stay." I waved to the woman and then pushed aside the heavy glass door towards the now stopped car.

The air had gotten twice as chilly as it had been when I fell out of Tommy's car. I hated how cold it got this far up north but then again I should be used to the harsh winters by now.

Placing myself carefully in Blake's passenger seat and then closing the door, I proceeded to turn my side of the car air on heat. "I'm sorry…" I muttered.

"You're sorry?"

"Yea… sorry I messed ya up with Wayne and not seeing Gordon. Did Wayne tell you anything important?"

He attempted to hide his smirk from me, "Yea I guess you could call it that. Told me some woman robbed him. But after hearing you say that Daggett and Bane are the real reasons behind it make me wonder what this 'cat burglar' did."

"A cat burglar?" I questioned sarcastically. Blake only nodded. "Interesting fetish I guess he has. Bats… cats… what's next rats? Birds?"

John rolled his eyes at me.

Enjoying the lighthearted feel to this moment, I sighed with a smile and rested my aching head into the back of his headrest. I really do love the warmth and plush feeling these cop car seats have.

"So who chased you?"

Blake's statement didn't force me to open my eyes as I spoke, "Bane's men. After I watched Bane kill Daggett, I barely escaped Bane. Then he ordered three guys to follow me. I was gonna go home, but I didn't want them to know where we lived and so I ran towards the station. I luckily ran into Tommy and he took me off the street to you."

"How did you escape Bane? He caught ya?"

I nodded still with my eyes closed, "Yea. He's the one that gave me the bruises."

"So why did he let you go?"

This time I opened my eyes. Even though I watched the streets outside of the windshield, my mind focused on the memory of Bane.

_"You do not fear death…do you?"_

_Even with his hands on my face, I smiled trying to hide the fact I was uncomfortable "No." He pushed me to the side and pointed to the doors leading to the street. _

_"Go. You will die with the rest of the city then."_

_I picked up my coat and purse while the guard men watched me walk pass silently. "Perhaps…" The masked man's voice echoed. "We will meet again, Maggie. Only time will tell."_

"So?"

I turned my head to John. "He said I could die with the rest of the city… that I wasn't afraid of him."

"Geezus… what the hell does that men then? 'Die with the rest of the city?' He has something else planned?"

I nodded, "I think it involves Bruce…"

"Yea. Me too."

"John?"

He looked to me. His warm chocolate eyes gleaming through the streetlights and speckles of rain water on the windows. "Ya?"

"Do we have band-aids and ointment at the house? My feet are all kinds of fucked up."

He rolled his eyes back to the road. "Yea Mags… we do."


	15. Chapter 15

**Whooo! Next update! Let's hope I can finish this story by the end of summer... I luckily only have one class this summer so I'm hoping I will be able to write a chapter on my computer every other day and then post every week or so! Therefore, I hope I'll see lots of reviews! Special thanks to WarriorDragonElf54, Marianne 16, ZabuzasGirl, Deppster34.**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

I looked back before closing the door to the front door. Maggie hadn't left the couch since we got home late yesterday afternoon. I couldn't contain my smile watching her snort in her sleep with her body contorted in the sleeping position she was in.

With a sigh, I closed the door making sure to lock it before taking a step down the empty hallway. I adjusted the handful of papers in my arm and strode down towards the elevator.

After aiding Maggie with her feet, I did a little bit of research on Daggett and the information she revealed to me about the situation yesterday. I found probably more than even Maggie would have pieced together.

The elevator buzzed and opened revealing an empty room for me to travel three floors down. _Perfect_. I sighed resting my back on the wall. I didn't even realize last night after helping Mag that I had spent about a solid five hours on the computer researching. So by the time I did realize what time it was, morning daybreak was just beginning.

Before I left, I had just called Ross to inform him that I was on my way to hand Gordon those papers from yesterday. Of course he was upset with me but after Maggie's scene at the station he knew that I went straight home to help her.

Striding over to the car my mind focused back to Margaret. Despite everything that damn woman goes through in this city, she always manages to find a way to bring me involved in it. Not to say I wouldn't find out or not want to know if she was in trouble… but it just always seemed like trouble always found her.

I opened the door while placing the files on the passenger seat next to mine. "Damn woman… why the hell is she such an idiot?"

With the rumble of the engine, I was off and headed towards the streets to the New Gotham General Hospital. The old one on the outskirts of the city was blown up eight years ago… when the Joker ran a muck of Gotham.

I had to admit. If it weren't for that crazy ass son-of-a-bitch I would have never met Margaret. That evening on the boat… she was such an ugly duckling at that time. A blemished face, tangled hair, and scrawny limbs, when she sat next to me on that Ferry I wasn't sure if I should be nice to her or offer her a sandwich.

Realizing she was alone and malnourished just like me, I picked up on the fact she might have been orphaned and escaping just as I was.

While I daydreamed, I had to snap back to reality after a jerk-off cut me off and almost hit my car. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that buddy…" I switched my lights and sirens on smirking as the car pulled to the side of the road.

Not only did the asshole almost hit me, he didn't use a turn signal, his tail-light was out, and his seat belt wasn't on. Idiot…

Like always, he attempted to give me some sob story bullshit but those tickets I wrote him would only add to more of his stupid sob story.

Moral of the story: don't piss off a cop.

On the route back to the hospital, I attempted to find my way around the brand-new building. There was a side entrance used for picking up patients quickly in the circle turn-a-round, but since I was going to be dropping off the paperwork I decided to be kind to the rest of the community and use the regular parking.

I was lucky enough to find a parking spot right out in the front. Maybe with this kind of luck, things would start to head for the better. Then light a bolt of lighting, the phrase _'Die with the rest of the city_' flashed through my brain. "Yea… about that…" I muttered walking into the hospital.

Walking through the sliding doors I couldn't help but admire the architecture of the lobby room. "Excuse me miss." I smiled genuinely to the woman at the front desk. She turned to face me with a look of both concern and anxiety. Probably because of my uniform.

"I'm here to see Commissioner James Gordon, official Police business." I flashed her my badge. "Could you tell me how to get there?"

The woman smiled while adjusting her bright baby blue scrubs, "Why yes. He's on the second floor and all the way down the hall to the left, room 243. Here, before you head up there I must ask that you sign in please."

She handed me a tablet with a list full of names already visiting many patients for the day. One name caught my eye about five names above where I was signing my own. _Peter Foley – Police Deputy Commissioner _

"Crap." I muttered under myself causing the secretary to glance up briefly at me.

With a smile I handed her the tablet back. "Thank you sir, you can either take the stairs on the right or the elevator on the left to the room."

"Thank you." I nodded and then traveled to the staircase on the right like she pointed out. The place was a freaking maze, I sighed running my free hand through my short hair. "This is just stupid…"

Luckily, I found a nurse walking through the hallway who guided me to Gordon's room. With two firm knocks, I twisted the door handle and entered into the fairly large recovery room.

"Can we, uh, help you officer?"

Foley's voice caused me to roll my eyes as I shut the door quietly behind me.

"Uh yea. I have the monthly municipal reports for you." I turned my head and frowned at my idol, broken and bruised on the metal-framed hospital bed. To his side sat Foley sporting his scowl as usual. "I also wanted to inform you that yesterday John Daggett's body was found in a dumpster."

The two gave me a strange glace. Holding the files in both of my hands, I looked down at them and then glanced back up at Gordon. "Sorry, I just thought you might wanna know." I responded.

"Why?" Gordon sat up in his bed.

"Well," I cleared my throat and handed Gordon the files. "His name's written all over these permits I just pulled to, uh, map the tunnels under Gotham. That's MTA maintenance, uh, sewer construction, couple of other things."

I didn't understand why I kept stuttering during my conversation, but what made my nerves even worse was Foley's mug of a face staring me down.

Gordon flipped through the files and then turned to Foley, "Where did you get to with the tunnel searches?" He half mocked and then half questioned.

"Remind me to tell detail to keep hotheads out… all of them." Foley smiled looking to me. With a roll of his eyes, he turned his head back to Gordon; "We've had teams down there. It's a huge network."

"Well get more men." Gordon scoffed refusing to look up from the files. "Work a grid, I want him found."

"Yea," Foley's smirk deepened, "The, uh, masked man… we're on it."

_Masked man… Bane…_ I thought realizing both Maggie and Gordon had escaped death from this vigilante. Despite what everyone believed to be a myth, the 'masked man' was real. And I'd stop at nothing to prove to Foley and the others he was.

Gordon looked up to me with a smile, "Lose the uniform, your working for me now. _And_ we could use some hotter heads around here."

Despite the fact I literally wanted to click my heels from the response of my new promotion, my eyes glanced to Foley's flushed face. "Well sir that could also be a coincidence." I attempted to mock my research I had spent a night's worth of sleep on… was I a moron!?

"You're a detective now, son." Gordon adjusted himself to a comfortable position after throwing the files on his lap, "You're not allowed to believe in coincidence anymore."

I attempted to hold my smile as best as I could, "Thank you sir. That means a lot."

"Head back to the station. I'll send for Detective Riley to assist you with everything. You report to me directly though, got that? Come here whenever you get a hunch like you just did." Gordon nodded to me before lying his head down on the pillow.

Before leaving the room I had to give Foley one last glance. After getting mad at me for snooping around during his conference about the tunnels, I brought this same information to his attention. Did he invest in any of my advice? Of course not!

And with Maggie's help and hatred for him, I had finally bitten Foley in the ass.

* * *

My eyes shot open and with a startled jump I sat myself up from lying down. My breath was heavy with sweat beading around the hairline on my cranium. "What the hell…" I ran a shaky hand through my messy hair. "That dream… it can't be…"

I never really dreamt of nightmares but when I did, it was always the same one. The dream about him… the joker. With that cackling laugh, the white painted face and those exaggerated red lips.

This time. My nightmare was the complete opposite: An enormous man standing overtop of me. His rippling muscles flexed as he made two fists and a humming noise sounded from the large mask that covered the middle of his face.

He reached down to grab me just as he had done the day before, but this time he didn't let go. Instead, he twisted, punched, kicked, and pounded me further and further into the concrete.

Just when I thought all was over, Batman swooped into the middle of the fight. The two swung their limbs at one another until Bane proved the reason behind his enormous muscles. I watched through my swollen and bloody eyes, as Batman was unmasked revealing an equally bloody Bruce Wayne.

Looking down at my hands, I realized it was all just a dream. A horrible, horrible nightmare… Bruce Wayne was still alive and so was I…but so was Bane.

It was my fault. I was the one who led Wayne to Bane. If I hadn't let Bane's men take those files from the shop, they wouldn't have had any of Mr. Wayne's personal information from our facility.

My body shivered as the cool air kicked in causing me to look around the room for a blanket. Apparently, I had slept the entire night on the couch. "Blake?" I called out after cocooning myself. "Hey are you here?!"

After about a minute pause of not hearing the slightest of noises, I assumed he had already left for work. With a sigh, I reached for the remote pathetically on the coffee table positioned ever so far away from my location. When I finally reached the device, the news channel rang through my migraine infested head. As always, the anchors were infatuated with the return of Batman and they constantly talked as if they knew the real reason why Batman came back.

Rolling my eyes, I turned off the TV once again and rolled myself off of the couch. "Might as well do something productive today…" I muttered while attempting to walk. My hand was placed firmly on the hallway wall as I shuffled my bare feet to my bedroom.

I was still shaking from my nightmare. The thought that I might have practically ruined my idol's secret life was no helping my migraine from ceasing whatsoever. I had to apologize to Mr. Wayne… I thought while opening my bedroom door.

I have to…

* * *

My hands clutched tightly around the large metal knocker. The force of the knock against the bulky wooden door echoed not only through my head, but also to the other side of the door as well.

I stood tall waiting patiently for a reply for a solid two minutes before I turned to my cab driver waiting in the driveway. After bribing the driver with an extra $50 bill to take me outside the city limits to the Wayne Manor, I also had to bribe him once again with a $20 bill so I could apologize quickly and return to the city.

"Hello!?" I cupped my hands over my mouth looking towards the window on the side of the house. "Mr. Wayne? Mr. Alfred? Anyone!?"

Nothing. Nothing but silence and birds chirping in the distant forest.

With a heavy sigh, I knocked a few more times and waited. To keep myself occupied from the awkwardness of the stillness, I tapped my shoes lightly against the marble staircase.

The cab driver honked at me obliging my gaze upon the obese bastard of an impatient man. He waved with his hand in a motion in order to persuade me back to the yellow cab.

This only led me to glare while shaking my head in response. 'Just hold on…' I mouthed and then turned back to the door. "Hello!? Anyone home in this oversized castle!?"

Nothing but silence once more.

Every fiber in my body told me that no one was home and I should just give up my stupid escapade… but my heart told me to wait. In combination with the extra honking of the cab driver and my stress level at the current moment, I rested my aching head against the cool metal frame of the door. "Pleaseeee… please someone answer-"

The creak of the door forced me to stand up straight and stare at the person answering my call. "Good morning, Miss Robin." Alfred nodded. His usual smile I had witness last week was gone. "Might I help you?"

"Oh, um… yes." I nodded and held my forehead in the palm of my right hand. "I was wondering if I could talk to Mr. Wayne…"

"More Batman nonsense?" He coldly snapped back.

His tone of voice caused me to retract my hand. "No, actually… I was, uh, wanting to apologize."

"Oh really?" Alfred nodded while crossing his arms. "About what might I ask?"

"About his money…" The tone in my own voice was not only meek compared to the butler's stern attitude, but also revealed my splitting headache. Clutching my temples I massaged the spots tenderly. "I'm sorry… Maybe this is a bad time and I-"

"Would you like some tea, Miss Robin? Caffeine is one of the best cures for a migraine." Alfred's tone got lighter suddenly and he motioned by opening the door for me to enter.

I smiled and nodded warily while placing one foot through the threshold of the mansion. While following the older gentleman through the hall, I noticed certain aspects of the household that I hadn't recognized before. For one, the walls were unembellished and windows unsheathed by curtains of any type. Like my previous thought, the inside looked just like a museum.

Entering in through another doorway, Alfred and I entered into the kitchen. It was complete with a large counter island in the middle, stove and other appliances against the wall, and a large open pantry on the opposite side of the wall. "No table?" I motioned with my hand.

"Well there is one in the large dining room… but usually Mr. Wayne eats in his bedroom." Alfred reached into the pantry looking for supplies for my tea.

"And what about you?" I asked and then cursed myself for doing so by the extremely pissed off look on his face. "I'm sorry… that's not my position to ask."

Alfred smiled while placing the small porcelain mug filled with tap water into the microwave. "It's quite alright. I usually just eat here with one of the bar stools or in my bedroom as well."

"It must be lonely here. Everything seems so… quiet." I murmured. There was no need to raise my voice due to the echo and the silence within the mansion.

"It is…" the old man nodded solemnly and then picked out a small tea bag from one of the open pantry shelves. "But, it will be even quieter when I'm gone, I'm afraid."

"Mr. Alfred, are you…sick?" I felt extremely awkward in his presence now that I knew he was dying. Instead, the old man grinned. "Not at all… actually, I'm retiring early."

"Oh." I nodded. The microwave beeped loudly causing a daunting echo that trembled my sensitive brain. "Ow…"

"How much sugar would you like?" Alfred whispered even softer than before. I massaged my head once again before answering, "Two please and no cream or anything fancy…"

My comment made the old man chuckle and as I finished my mantra on my splitting headache, the porcelain cup appeared just in front of my position near the countertop. "Did you wake up with it?"

I nodded.

"Ah." Alfred winced slightly, "Those are the absolute worse." Taking in the warmth of the steaming liquid within the cup, I tapped my painted fingernails along the ridges of the cup. I was thinking of the right words to reveal my presence this trip.

"Mr. Alfred… I woke up with this headache," I started to say while bringing the cup to my lips and taking a small sip of the blistering hot liquid. "Because I realized something…something horrible, in my dream last night."

The man sighed apprehensively. "And what is that, Miss Robin?"

"I'm the reason why Mr. Wayne lost his money." I stated looking at the cup on the countertop still with my hands surrounding the container. After a moment or so of listening to the both of us breathing in the silence, I looked to Alfred with a concerned look. His matched mine.

"Well… I realized," I continued to say while maintain my eye contact with him this time. "That day those robbers came in and killed James Washington at the shop, they took a set of customer files."

I paused for a moment to see if Alfred had gathered my conclusion. When he shook his head slightly, I had to fully explain my reasoning. "I tried to stop them from taking the files but they knocked me out. I'm so sorry… and I just wanted to tell Mr. Wayne that if it wasn't for those files they took then maybe his identity would have been better protected from the Cat Burglar lady."

"How do you know about that?"

I shrugged, "Blake told me and Mr. Wayne told him…" The butler nodded in return. "I just wanted to tell him I was sorry about it… If I would have known I-"

"Margaret." Alfred commented in the middle of my apology. "Master Wayne would not have wanted you to risk his life for those files. On behalf of him, I want to thank you, but there's no need to risk your life."

"I just," I practically shrunk down in my shoes from the retaliation of Alfred. Of course I should have known. Batman would have not wanted me to risk my life over money… that wasn't why Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight. "I just wanted to say sorry… that's all. Is Bruce Wayne here?"

"I'm afraid he is not…"

"Oh." I sipped more of my tea and hummed in relief afterwards. "Well, this is rather embarrassing on my part…"

"And why would you say that, Miss Robin?"

I chuckled before taking another sip. "I wasn't thinking clearly, I guess. I mean, I practically begged the cab driver to bring me here so I could warn the man that probably already knew why he was robbed in the first place… I mean, he's Batman after all."

"Yes." Alfred grumbled, almost in a distasteful way.

"And I mean Blake's already seen him in person like twice now and I've only seen him on TV and stuff-" I stopped myself from saying anything more. Now all of a sudden I was revealing my jealously of Blake getting to meet Batman in person… that wasn't the real reason why I came to Wayne Manor. "Ah, never mind… I should go."

Alfred chuckled at me and took the empty cup away from my reach and into the large sink. "Here, let me get you some medicine for that headache."

"Yea, cause I'm pretty sure it's causing me to say things I probably should keep to my damn self." I wanted to punch myself in the face for saying a curse word in the old man's presence. As he turned around I frowned, "Sorry…"

He chuckled once again while handing me the pills and a small glass of water. "No more apologies, Maggie." He pointed a finger at me, "And no more risking your life. You have so much to live for yet."

I wanted to roll my eyes at that statement, but instead I took the pills and washed them down with the glass of water. "Yes sir. I'll do that…"

As we walked back to the front, I noticed a single picture of a woman hanging down a part of the hallway we didn't pass by earlier. "Who's this?" I stopped walking and pointed to the image.

"That," Alfred placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Was a dear old friend of Master Wayne."

"What happened to her?" I questioned probably more than I should have intruded in. Not only was I in his home, but now I was prying into Bruce Wayne's personal life. "I mean she looks so young and-"

"She died. The Joker kidnapped her and Harvey Dent. Rachel didn't make it out…"

I gasped and covered my hands over my agape mouth. "I'm… I'm so sorry… I didn't know… I… I…" Alfred patted my shoulder and then turned me towards the front. "I just need to stop talking… don't I, Mr. Alfred?"

He chuckled once again before opening the door. "Well, I will inform Master Wayne of your apology when I see him again. Until then, Miss Robin, drink caffeine for that migraine if you get it again."

I nodded while taking a step out onto the porch, "Will do. And thank you again." When I turned around to look at the bright yellow cab waiting patiently for my return, my jaw dropped instead.

The cab was nowhere in sight. Gone with my $70 bucks…

"That motherfu-"

"Ah… well Miss Robin. Might I give you a ride back home?" Alfred cut me off just in time. I nodded to him while attempting to keep my violent thoughts in shape. "I was just getting ready to head out before you visited. This way," He shut the door while leading me back through the mansion once again.

As we walked passed by Rachel's picture once again, I didn't forget to pay my mental respects to the woman smiling brightly in the picture.

* * *

"Actually, would you mind turning down here, Alfred?" I asked pointing against the glass of the passenger seat of the Bentley. "I want to stop by and see an old friend."

"Of course, Miss Robin." The old man smiled and turned the car down the road. With his bags all packed in the back seat, Alfred was headed straight for the airport. He informed me, as well, that the car was going to be donated to a charity for the cities Orphanages on account of Mr. Wayne's orders.

We neared closer and closer to my destination and I literally felt myself bubbling with excitement.

"I do apologize, Miss Robin. But why exactly are we heading to The Gotham Waffle?" Alfred asked just before turning into the parking lot.

"Blake and I know a friend that works here. I just wanted to talk to her for a bit." I nodded while tightening my zipper on my hoodie jacket. "Thank you so much for taking me."

"Well of course. And thank you for keeping me company this morning." Alfred smiled after parking the car near the front door. I turned my head looking to him with a genuine smile and without another thought, forced my arms around his shoulders to hold him tightly and sniffed in the strong scent of peppermint and old cologne on his shirt.

Alfred was almost like having a grandfather, I assumed as he tightly squeezed me and patted the top of my blonde head with his old wrinkly hands. "Goodbye Margaret."

"Bye Alfred. Thank you for listening."

"Of course."

As I pulled away from his grasp, I took in that last inhale of his scent once again. With a nod and wave goodbye, I opened the car door and shut it closed before making my way into the timeworn restaurant. "Hey, is Carmella around?" I asked the waitress at the host's stand.

She looked to the back briefly before popping her gum to face me. "I think she just got here… you want me ta check?" I nodded in response. "Fine. Wait 'ere."

With a heavy sigh, I looked to the waiting spot and took my seat. Of course, being as old as the building was, I sunk into the old cushion and struggled to get myself out of its confinement.

"Margaret! Darling come give me a hug!" An overjoyed Carmella ran from the kitchen towards my figure stuck in the seat. I didn't even have time to get up before Carm threw me into her plump arms and hugged the crap out of me. "Why haven't you visited me in so long? I miss you and John!"

I giggled and pushed myself out of her cigarette-smoke lingered arms. "Blake's working, Carm. I just came to talk for a little bit. Are you on break?"

"Honey," She rolled her eyes and tightly grabbed my wrist. "I'm not even working right now. I just came here early to visit with Frank."

I sneered at her comment, "Carm you're not still trying to hook up with that good-for-nothing cook are ya?" She had told Blake and me about her relationship with the new cook a couple months back. "He's a looser."

"I know…" She grunted leading me towards the break room for the employees. "But he's got a nice body and damn he's-"

"I DON'T want to know!" I shouted. Carmella was basically my mother figure. The last thing I needed to hear was her elaborate sex-stories. Once the two of us arrived out into the back of the restaurant, she and I sat on the curb.

After offering me a light, she flickered her lighter to her lips and cigarette after I politely declined. "So sweetheart, what's up?" She puffed out a mouthful of smoke.

"Well," I sighed while resting my chin on my hands as I sat on the yellow painted curb. My headache had finally subsided thanks to Alfred's miracle tea and medicine. "I don't really know why I came here… honestly." I muttered feeling stupid.

So far this morning I had acted completely off of impulse. Wayne Manor and now G-Waffle… there was no thought out plan why exactly I was visiting these places.

"Honey… what did _'Officer Blake'_ do?" Carmella puffed out another mouthful. I only giggled in response. "I actually don't think it has anything to do with Blake, Carm… for once."

"Really?" the older woman raised an eyebrow at me and then took another puff of her cancer stick. "That wasn't the story two years ago."

"Two years ago, I was a drunk and completely idiotic." I admitted. "I'm lucky I kept my job… let alone my roommate."

The woman shook her head before throwing her cigarette on the floor and stepping on it. "He loves you, dear. More than anything."

"I know…!" I growled. The mentioning of the 'L' word was causing my migraine to come back. "I just can't do it Carm. I can't be hurt again…"

"Sweetheart. That boy has been with you for eight years… if he didn't care about you, he would have left by now… trust me, I know."

"I know you do…" I muttered scratching the top of my head. Carmella had her husband of six years leave her suddenly and for no reason. It was devastating, not only to her but to John and me. "…I know."

"Then what's the real reason why you came here sweetheart? I know you're not coming to get some hash browns… that look on your face tells me that much."

I nodded before standing up to face the older woman. Over the years I've grown to not only love this woman, but to respect her completely. How hard she worked for what little she made… plus the fact she treated each customer with the same amount of respect, drunk or sober.

"Carmella…" I hugged her tightly taking in that sweet scent of cigarettes and perfume. I pulled away and nodded with a sigh, "I just want to tell you how much I care about you."

"Awww~ sweetheart I-"

"Please… you have to be safe. The city is about to be in some deep shit and I just want you to be safe." I snapped. The look in Carmella's blue eyes told me she was utterly concerned. "What do you mean?" She whispered.

I gulped a thick amount of spit down my throat before answering. "A lot of people have died already… there's a terrorist. Do you remember the news about that person who robbed the stock exchange?"

She nodded in understanding. "Yes, the person the Batman was after… I saw it on the news! I was so excited to see him back again. I know how much you and Blake love Batman."

Her comment caused me to smirk, "Yea, I was exited about that too." Then I shook my head remembering what I was originally telling her. "Anyways, there's a really bad guy out on the loose. Worse than Joker… I just want you to be safe, okay?"

Carmella nodded just before hugging me and kissing my cold cheek. "Of course sweetheart. I'm always safe…"

Her comment made me giggle and suddenly I felt my phone start to vibrate in my pocket. Tapping out of my hold, Carm let me go in order to reach into my pocket and retrieve my phone. Blake's caller ID appeared on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered in an annoyed tone as usual.

"Mags? Whatcha doing? I came to the house but you're not here?" Blake's voice replied sounding annoyed that I wasn't following his beck and call. I rolled my eyes before answering back, "I'm at G-Waffle. What do you want, Blake?"

"I got a surprise for ya!"

"Well unless it's bags full of un-stolen money, I don't really care at the moment…" I responded.

Blake laughed on the other line while sparking my interest. "What if that's pretty much exactly what you just said?"

"Blake?!" I cautiously responded. "What the hell-?"

"I got promoted to detective! I went to Gordon with that information you told me last night and he promoted me, in front of Foley might I add."

My eyes widened as much as my mouth did. Not only was Blake getting us more money than the both of us could ever imagine for two orphans, but now he was getting more money and rubbed that shit in that asshole's face! Life was good… Well besides Bane's threat on my life…

"That's amazing Blake! Oh my gosh! This is awesome! I can't believe it!"

"I know!" John laughed on the other line. "Well, I'm coming to pick you up now… I was gonna head back to the house to put on my new suit and tie… and I was also thinking about something."

"Oh yea," I added looked to Carmella with a thumbs up about the whole situation. "What's that?"

"Wanna go back home and give me congratulatory sex for my new position?"

With the large blush flushed on my cheeks, even Carmella could have guessed what exactly Blake had asked of me. "God damnit…"


	16. Chapter 16

**Whoop whoop! I kept in on my promise! Hope you like this update because things are starting to move quickly just like the movie! Special and many thanks to my wonderful reviewers: WarriorDragonElf54, Deppster34, and Marianne 16! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"This is awesome!" I cheered sitting in the passenger seat of Blake's new car. "I mean, the car is just like the old one without the gate in the back, but still! This promotion is awesome! How much more are you gonna make?!"

Blake rolled his eyes at me, as if saying it wasn't something I should be questioning about. "Does it really matter?"

"Yes." I defensively added. "Do you know how much money you owe me for all the god damn times I've covered your ass?! Let's just say that you owe me about-"

"Alright, alright!" Blake retaliated with a hesitant chuckle. "Jesus, you'd think I wouldn't cut ya a break or something? I know how ya are Mags."

"Oh yea?" I sunk into the seat. My feet were starting to ache again from yesterday's unplanned marathon in heels. "And how exactly, 'am I,' huh?" He didn't answer me, but proceeded to puff out a laugh. The car turned into the parking lot of our building and then stopped in an open spot next to the entrance. "Nice spot." I nodded reaching for the door handle until Blake's hand on my neck forced me to turn to him.

"Mags… I…I-"

"Don't say it… just don't…" I rolled my eyes remembering the comment he mentioned over the phone. That warmth in my stomach proceeded to tingle throughout my body indicating my ignition for sexual obligations. But instead my brain was allowing me to ignore it. "I'm not in the mood. And after yesterday and everything…"

My head retreated back to the handle and my hands propped the door aside. Standing up onto the harsh concrete ground was proving to get the better of my throbbing feet. When I got inside, I decided, I would make sure to take a boiling tub of water filled with Epsom salts for my injury.

The two of us walked through the doorway and towards the elevator without the need for a conversation. As soon as the door pushed aside and allowing us access to the third floor, I turned my head to my roommate. "I should have asked Carm for a take-home plate of hash browns."

John huffed a smile and while pulling out his keys from his pocket. "Yea, if it's not your stubbornness, those hash browns will definitely be the death of ya." He placed the gold key into the lock while turning it and looking to me sarcastically, "Well that or the fact that you enjoy running into danger headfirst according to Foley."

I rolled my eyes at that name. "Ugh, don't even talk to me about that creep." The two of us shuffled into our quaint little home tired from the exhausting day we had been through. "You know, I don't understand how the others can even stand him! I only met the guy for like ten minutes and trust me, he was dead about 50 times over inside of my head!"

Blake laughed while throwing his jacket onto the couch and flopping into the comfort of the cushion. "Yea… I wonder that myself sometimes…"

"You want a beer?" I asked from the refrigerator. His slight 'mmmhm' caused me to pull out two bottles. "I'm gonna need to buy more beer for the game." I mentioned aloud while handing him the bottle and taking a spot next to him.

"The Rapid City game?" He took a swig of his drink after responding to my comment.

"Of course," I sipped the bottle and then flipped off my shoes with the use of my feet. They looked just as bad as they did yesterday… minus the blood. "You gonna be here?"

"Don't know… all depends on work."

I sighed. It was sort of a tradition for us to watch the big game together. We would scarf a whole two bag of chips and a case of beer during the four-hour battle of the pigskin. "Alright then. I'll call you and let you know who wins."

"Ha, thanks…" Blake rolled his eyes and then gulped the rest of his beer in a chug. "How 'bout you just record it for me and _not_ tell me who won?"

I rolled my eyes. "So what, now we are having a chugging contest, huh? Give a girl some warning next time huh?!" I chugged the rest of my own beer and looked to my roommate with a smirk. "See, I can be just as cool."

"You're still a loser." Blake chuckled and then reached his arm to pull my waist towards him. "But at least you're _my _loser-of-a-roommate."

Sitting over his hips was the part of my current situation that bugged me… no instead it was his damn hand that sneaked it's way into my shirt and lightly caressed my soft skin on my back. "Uhhhh, Blake…" I moaned in delight and then shook my head and pushed his forearm away. "I'm just not in the mood okay… my feet hurt like hell and I've just had an exhausting day. My migraine finally went away, thank god, but sex will probably just force it back."

The look of desire continued as Blake stared into my own. "Come on, Mags… just a little one." His member was beginning to grow prominently against the inner fabric of my jeans against his hips. "I'll be quick."

"No!" I shook my head and then threw my legs off of his body, however, the unknowing pain of my sore feet caused me to trip down to the floor. "God damnit!" I cursed sitting up. Blake could only laugh and point at my demeanor. "That's what you get!" He chuckled and then stood to walk towards the kitchen to retrieve another round of beers from the fridge.

"I seriously… hate you." I muttered while making my way back onto the couch. "Ow… ow, ow, ow…" I grumbled as I massaged my bruised feet from the stinging sensation that overwhelmed them. Blake handed me the cold bottle and I retrieved it with a snarl. "Well, if you thought you were gonna have sex after laughing at me… you've got another thing coming, ya asshole!"

Blake merely rolled his eyes and then reached for the remote control. The news was on and the two of us mindless watched it as we sipped our beers at our own pace.

"So what did you do today?" Blake turned his head to me.

"Oh," I shrugged. "Woke up… and uh. Went into the city."

"Well no wonder your feet hurt. You shouldn't be walking very much!" He proceeded to discipline me.

"I didn't…" I muttered. My words caused Blake to turn to me with a raised eyebrow. "I, uh, actually went to Wayne Manor by cab. Andddddd that asshole left me there taking my money and-"

"Wait, wait, _you_ went to Wayne Manor?" Blake looked astounded by my story, as if he didn't believe me, "Why would you do that?"

"Because…" I took a sip of my beer. "Because… I realized something and I need to talk to Bruce Wayne- listen, it's in the past now and I-"

"Maggie… what did you tell him?"

Looking back into Blake's face, I watched the vein in his forehead bulge ever so slightly. "Well, Wayne wasn't there, but I talked to Alfred and everything's fine… just forget about it okay?" I kept my answer short because that dream started to sneak it's way back into my thoughts.

A tear formed in my eye farthest away from Blake, and I was quick to react to it by pretending to yawn and rub my face. "I think I'm gonna call it a night…" I stood up abruptly. "Goodnight-"

Suddenly, John's pulled my hips into his own while those warm hands of his pulled my cheeks into his face. The two of us making perfect lip contact with the other. I couldn't resist the slight damp wetness from his lips as they traced and pecked against my own and within seconds we were fighting for the dominance.

Before long, my hands wrapped around his sturdy neck while passing the moments intensity by bit the bottom of his lip and sucking on it tenderly. Quickly, I released while his lip made a forceful popping noise back into place.

His hands traveled down my neck, pass my waist and down to the bottom of my shirt line. Then, they ventured underneath the cotton of my shirt to explore the silkiness of my stomach and back.

Meanwhile, our lips had parted allowing our tongues to dance wildly inside the gap of our mouths. I retreated my tongue for the moment while gasping for a breath of fresh air, "Jooooohn… I- I- I can't…" I begged.

"Why?" He huskily whispered in my ear. "I promise it'll be a quickie… but a good one."

The tone of his voice wanted me to fall to my knees and praise the heavens that someone other than a 50 year-old man wanted to fuck me. But there was just one problem to the whole situation. "No… you don't understand…" I gasped while feeling his hand slide up underneath my bra to the bottom of one of my breasts.

"What's wrong? I-"

"I'm on my period."

At the expense of saving a couple of dollars for us to put elsewhere, plus the combined fact that I wasn't under life insurance wouldn't allow for me to receive cheep birth control. And Blake knew that.

"I'm sorry…" I replied kissing his cheek. His hand on my breast traced down to my stomach and then clutched the skin on my back while pulling me into a hug.

"Damn you, Margaret…God damn you."

* * *

Sitting in my car only allowed my mindless thoughts to continue while taking in the scent of the sedative new-car smell. "What the hell am I gonna do?" I eventually sighed while running a hand through my short hair. I had been placed with such a high title then my friends, and quite honestly, I felt overwhelmed and completely in over my head. If it wasn't for Maggie's help – or rather her life-threatening situation, I wouldn't have been able to come up with the conclusions that allowed Gordon to grant me the title of detective.

So here I was… sitting in my car waiting mindlessly in front of Old Town. "Why the hell am I here, again?" I questioned to myself with a sigh. "Oh right…" I remembered my reasoning.

Bruce Wayne had asked me to drop him off in Old Town the other day… If he knew someone special around this area and needed to talk about his money issues the other day, then maybe… just maybe this same person would be able to explain what was going on with the broke billionaire.

Not that I knew who to even look for.

That was… until I recognized a very familiar face.

Little did I ever imagine I would find the woman whose profile was plastered all over the police station about the congressman's capture. That night was the same event that caused Commissioner Gordon to fall victim to the sewers in Bane's clutches.

Quickly I reached for the radio and buzzed in to the station, "Get me Commissioner Gordon. I got a line on the congressman's kidnapping!" I stated hastily. This woman was beyond good at escaping the police and not to mention capture. I doubted that the Batman could even capture this woman.

With her oversized black hat and matching suit dress, I made a note of her appearance to the station and then followed the cab she had gotten into all the way to the airport.

While informing the police officers on duty of the woman, we were all on pursue of the thief. I had even called in a couple of officers to meet with me at the airport just incase she avoided arrests just as she had done so many times in the past.

After not only taking out two officers in pursue of her trail, she traveled down the terminal to her plane in which was my turn to intercept her to the plane she was headed on.

Holding out my badge with a frown, I noticed Selina Kyle didn't have her large black hat on any more. "You're coming with me." I nodded to her. The look on her face showed complete anger and pity that she had finally been captured.

"Place your hands in the air and turn around. You are under arrest." I nodded pulling out my cuffs. She reluctantly did as I asked and I had to frown at the fact her wrists were so small that they were clutched tightly on my lowest setting on the cuffs. Holding her forearm tightly, I nodded to the police officers behind me. "Follow me." Turning to her, I nodded for her to walk forwards. "You too."

The airport had been nice enough to lend me one of their interrogation rooms for private TSA investigation. After locking the Cat Burglar in the room for about twenty minutes while Ross brought me her file from the station, I was ready to begin my investigation.

Twisting the door handle to the side, I walked through the room. "I showed your pictures to the congressman." Selina was pouting and avoiding my eye contact at all costs. Slamming her rather large file against the desk, I added, "Guess what?"

"Don't tell me… still in love?"

"Oh, head over heels. Pressing charges, though." I frowned looking at her. She was very sarcastic given her certain situation. "Well you've made some mistakes, Ms. Kyle."

"Girl's gotta eat." She added breathlessly while adjusting her hands in the cuffs. At the last moment she looked to me but almost as if she was looking towards the wall and pass me.

"And you have an appetite." I added with a stern frown. She was seriously pissing me off. "Why would you run? You can't hide with a record like this."

"Maybe it's not you I'm running from…" She looked towards the window while muttering softly her admission.

"Who then?" I questioned. "Bane? What do you know about him?"

Still refusing to look at me, the woman nodded softly. "That you should be as afraid of him as I am." She scoffed… her voice seemed threatening.

Almost as if she was forewarning me.

"We can offer you protection." I mentioned quickly which only caused Selina to roll her eyes to look directly at me. That face told me exactly what I needed to know. "Okay…"

Picking up the large file back into my hands left a sour taste in my mouth. I headed towards the door until my feet stopped me from leaving. I had forgotten about the real reason why I even spotted Selina Kyle in the first place. "When I spotted you, I was looking for a friend of mine. Bruce Wayne…"

She looked down, almost angelically as if she knew this was the end of her freedom… Until I spoke again. Her eyebrows heightened and her eyes widened towards me.

"…Did they kill him?" I whispered so the police on the other side of the door wouldn't hear.

The slight tears forming in her eyes gave me all the answers I needed to know… until she gave me her real answer. She whispered back sternly.

"…I'm not sure…"


	17. Chapter 17

**I'll be the first to admit, this chapter is going to skip between the characters of Maggie and Blake. Therefore, to make it less confusing I have included a (**) to indicate who's POV it is coming from. I really hope this helps and makes sense! Also, we are getting more and more into the middle of TDKR. I'm so excited and thrilled to see more reviews on this chapter and future updates! Thanks to, WarriorDragonElf54 and Deppster34 for the wonderful reviews! You guys rock!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

(Margaret Robin)

"Let's see… I'll need to buy beer. We also need eggs and milk, and what the hell, I can pick up some ice cream too!" I smiled to myself while checking the stock of the refrigerator. The big football game was in a couple of hours, which gave me just enough time to run to the store to pick up food and be ready to pre-game.

Walking through the kitchen, I made sure to place my notepad with the items I needed on top of my purse. No matter if I needed 3 items or 30, I would ALWAYS forget one important thing if I didn't have a list.

Blake had left around 10 this morning to start his investigation. After telling me about his capture of the Cat Burglar woman who also kidnapped the congressmen from the Dent Day celebration, I'd assume Blake was on a roll with this whole detective position. And hopefully that meant he'd make more money too!

After three days of rest for my feet, the swelling and bruising had vanished and only small slivers of cuts remained. Thank god I didn't have a job because the vacation I had to recuperate was much needed.

Today, however, was my last day of freedom. Tomorrow I was planning on attempting to find another job. While Blake supported the two of us fairly well, it felt wrong for him to be doing all of the work while I watched stupid shows like, 15 & Pregnant, Real Housewives of Gotham, and the dreaded New Jersey Shore.

For right now, I smiled while humming to myself and sliding my feet into my shoes, I was going to enjoy every second of this football game. With my list secured in my jacket pocket along with my wallet and keys, I left the apartment in the journey to buy food.

"I really just want beer and ice cream." I laughed to myself as I got onto the empty elevator. The elevator was always empty… it was strange, almost as if no one really lived in our apartment or something. Rolling my eyes from my thoughts, I walked out into the streets of Gotham with my jacket completely zipped up to block the chill of the wind.

The weather might have been a cloudy overcast type of day, but that wouldn't stop my thoughts of how perfect this football game was gonna be. I seriously could not stop thinking about it!

As I passed the market vendors and stands on the street, a newspaper article caught my eye and forced me to stop. It was the National Questioner. "Giant sewer-man running around the streets of Gotham?"

The vendor of the stand grunted as I read the title of the paper to myself. "That'll be $2.50 sweetheart. Otherwise, beat it kid!"

"I'm not a kid!" I frowned back. The man rolled his eyes. "Yea, whateva just gimme da monies." Reaching for my wallet, I slapped the exact change into his palm and then took my copy from the pile.

Most people would have their own opinion of the truthfulness of the National Questioner, but this article was too interesting to pass up. I looked around for a place to stop and examine the pages and then found a bench just up the street.

With my eyebrows crossed, I took my spot on the bench and flipped to the page containing the rest of the article about the sewer-man in Gotham.

_"Reports are coming in that a rather large man, or creature, has been walking right out of the sewers of Gotham. This goliath also has a pack of rampaging sewer men alongside of his army. We've also gotten word from our sources that there is a bomb in his clutches._

_Could this have anything to do with the return of the Batman? Are the Batman and the sewer-man in ties with one another? Or does this sewer-man plot to thwart Gotham just as badly as the Joker did eight years ago?"_

I shook my head with an agitated growl. "Well there goes a waste of 3 bucks… god damnit…" Crunching the paper into a ball the size of my fist distracted me from running over to the vender and demanding my money back. "People don't understand anything about anything." I rolled my eyes while standing up after throwing the ball of wasteful papers into the garbage.

On route to the grocery just down the block, I thought about the paper even more. They had at least gotten the facts right. Indeed, there was a giant man living in the sewers with an army but as far as putting all of the pieces together, they failed miserably.

"Then again," I shrugged my shoulders while looking at my reflection in the windows of the grocery store, "Most people haven't personally meet the 'giant sewer-man'… nor do I think they want too."

* * *

(John Blake)

So far, today had been a complete waste of my day… then again, that was the point of my job right? To figure out patterns and schemes until you finally find the culprit and even then your job isn't done until someone is behind bars or dead.

Man, this job could be a drag sometime… But at least it kept me on my toes.

The one thing that seriously concerned me the most was what Maggie told me the other day. "_You will die with the rest of the city then." _Just what exactly was Bane planning?

Whatever the fuck it was, I knew one thing for certain: The clue to his scheme was hidden within Daggett's newly purchased cement companies.

Suddenly, my phone began to vibrate against the thin fabric of my suit pants. "Hello?" I answered grimly while keeping one hand on the wheel of my new car. "How's the search going, rookie?" Gordon's question caused me to roll my eyes. He checked up on me every once in a while or whenever I didn't call in to reveal to him my new discoveries.

"I've been to half of Daggett's cement plants and locations they've poured for underground construction." I stated almost robotically through the phone. "Anything strange about the pourings?" He questioned back.

My only thought was to shrug my shoulders, but Gordon couldn't see or hear that motion over the phone. "Honestly, Commissioner," I began to say while continuing to drive down the road aimlessly in my gold Ford car. "I don't know anything about civil engineering."

"But you know about patterns." Gordon admitted to persuade me to continue being hopeful. "Keep looking." Of course, me being out on the field working was the most Gordon had to the outside world while the entire fleet of Gotham City Police Department were attempting to smoke out Bane through the underground tunnels.

I only had three more spots to check out according to my map of Gotham. By the looks of all the marks I had written on, the next location was just a few blocks away.

As I turned into the parking area of the lot, I noticed a familiar face that was beginning to spark my interest. After placing the car into the park position and getting out of my vehicle, I looked to the two construction men that were glaring at me. "Hey!" I yelled while walking towards the men. "Hey!"

The one guy that I had familiarized myself with only grinned while his friend attempted to stop me from coming closer. I pushed his hand off of my shoulder while showing him my badge. "You're going to have to step aside right now!" I shoved him away while continuing to walk towards the man I knew. "Hey! That was you in front of the stock exchange, wasn't it?!" I declared.

"When?" The man pretended to play dumb.

"When?!" I retaliated. "When half the cities cops were trying to pull onto Castle Street and your truck was shutting them out!" I pointed to the same truck from the incident parked right in front of me.

The slime ball still continued to be innocent. "Oh yea, you're the cop."

"Detective now." I snapped. If he wanted to be short and snippy with me, two could play at this game. "And, uh, as a detective, we're not allowed to believe in coincidence." The comment rolling off of my tongue just as Gordon's words did when he promoted me to this position.

Just as I turned to the man behind me, I noticed him pull out a gun. All I saw was red in the heat of the moment, and luckily I dodged the assault while pulling out my own gun from my belt. Without the safety on, I shot the idiot quickly and he fell to the floor instantly.

The slime ball captured me in his arms from behind my back and held me tightly in place. Quickly, both he and I struggled against one another, which in turn caused him to land a few good punches in my gut and cheek.

The pain caused me to bend over at the waist as I attempted to recalibrate myself to retaliate. With my gun clutched firmly in my hand, I did the only thing I could think of… I clutched the trigger tightly.

The man felt limp in my arm and I retaliated by pushing him to the ground forcefully to get him to talk, "What were you doing here? What are you working on!?"

My hands seized his shirt collar as I shook him. But for some reason, his eyes roll in the back of his head as blood begin to pour from underneath his back. "Shit." I pushed his body away and then looked at my hands.

The gun.

The gun was still clutched in my right hand.

Looking at it with a scowl, I quickly threw the object and then looked back at my destruction. I had just killed two men. "Fuck!" I screamed at myself and clutched the top of my head. "Shit. Fucking shit to hell!"

How could I kill two people?! I didn't mean to… I knew they were bad people, but still… I had no reason to murder even worse, now I'd never figure out just what exactly they were planning.

I did the only sensible thing at the moment and panicked. Reaching for my phone in my pocket, I pressed the speed dial.

"Hello?" The female voice sang on the other line. "Are you upset that I'm sitting at home with a beer in my hand and-"

"Maggie! Mags!" I screamed trying my best to avoid looking at the two dead bodies in front of me. "Just shut the hell up for a moment will ya?!" My voice came out much harsher than expected and I could tell she was hurt by my scold. "Well shit, if you're gonna talk to me like that." She responded meekly. "What do you want?"

"I just- I just- damnit… I just did somethin' real bad…" I wiped away the sweat from my forehead.

"Huh? What? What could you have possibly done bad, Blake?"

Groaning and standing up from my crouched position, I took a gulp of thick spit. "I killed two guys." I could hear Maggie sigh through the phone. "Well…" She muttered, "Were they criminals?"

"Yea." I nodded. "They are a part of Daggett's cement company and whatever it was they were doing here I know it has something to do with Bane." I paused to take a gasp of air. "But _still_, I just murdered two people!"

"John. Listen…" Her voice was starting to calm my rampaging thoughts. "All you have to do is tell Gordon that you were being attacked and you fought out of self defense."

"I was being attacked." I stated forgetting to tell her that important detail.

"See! Wait- what?! They _attacked _you! For real?! Are you okay? Well obviously you aren't dead because they are and-"

"Margaret!" I yelled. She stopped instantly. "I'm sorry. I'm just really on edge right now! You don't think Gordon's gonna be mad at me?"

"No." She ensured me. "It was either you or them. You should probably call and tell him though. Okay?"

"Yea."

"You gonna be okay, Blake?"

I nodded. "I'll be fine Mags." I looked to the bleeding men once again before looking away and retaliating my conversation. "Have fun watching the game by yourself…"

She laughed. "Don't worry! I will indeed. Bye. Call Gordon!"

"I will," I nodded once again. "Bye." I pulled the phone from my ear and then pressed the red 'END' button on my phone. Then I quickly searched for my recent calls tab and pressed the speed dial of 'Commissioner Gordon' on the screen.

* * *

(Margaret Robin)

I sighed to myself after sitting in the comfort of my couch with a big bag of sour cream and onion chips in my lap and an iced cold beer in my hand. "Ahhh," I cried peacefully watching the previews of the local news station. This was probably the only football game I ever watched every year since I was about ten. One of the ladies at the orphanage was a die-hard Rapid City fan while the other employees of the orphanage all loved the Gotham Rouges.

It was a big deal, every year, to see which team was declared the winner because the looser would have to make cookies for us the next day.

Ever since then, I always cheered for the Rouges – not only because it was our home team, but also because Ms. Olivia cheered for Rapid City and she made the best cookies in the entire world.

My love for the Rouges only increased when I worked for J.R.W. Suits and Ties. Mr. Washington not only supplied most of the team with his custom tailored suits, but also got a small bonus from the team whenever they won a game. It wasn't much… but $100 extra in a poor orphaned girl's paycheck meant the entire world.

"Let's go Rouges, yea yea!" I chanted after gulping down a big sip of beer.

"Perfect! I can take a pee during the commercial break and-" I sat up to walk towards my room when suddenly my cell phone began to ring. Looking at the name of the caller, I giggled just before answering. "Hello? Are you upset that I'm sitting at home with a beer in my hand and-"

"Maggie! Mags!" Blake cut me off. His scream indicated the obscurity of his situation. "Just shut the hell up for a moment will ya?!" He scolded me like a child.

"Well shit, if you're gonna talk to me like that." I responded meekly. "What do you want?" My voice was short and so was my temper. If I had to recall, he was the one that called _me,_ not the other way around.

"I just- I just- damnit… I just did somethin' real bad…"

"Huh? What? What could you have possibly done bad, Blake?" I wiped away a strand of blonde hair from my forehead.

I could hear him groaning just before he gulped loudly into the phone. "I killed two guys."

My heart stopped for a moment. Clutching the phone tightly in my hand, I sighed trying to think of the best answer to his situation. "Well…were they criminals?"

"Yea. They are a part of Daggett's cement company and whatever it was they were doing here I know it has something to do with Bane." He paused to take a gasp of air. "But _still_, I just murdered two people!"

"John. Listen…" I knew how badly this must have felt to Blake. He had told me a long time ago about watching his dad get shot right in front of his eyes. He swore to me that he'd never kill anyone on account of seeing his own father murdered. "All you have to do is tell Gordon that you were being attacked and you fought out of self defense." I truthfully responded.

"I _was_ being attacked." He stated and emphasized the stress of the 'was' while informing me of that important detail.

"See!" I suddenly comprehended his words. "Wait- what?! They _attacked _you! For real?! Are you okay? Well obviously you aren't dead because they are and-"

"Margaret!" He yelled cutting me off again. "I'm sorry. I'm just really on edge right now! You don't think Gordon's gonna be mad at me?"

"No." I rolled my eyes. "It was either you or them. You should probably call and tell him though. Okay?"

"Yea."

Biting my lip, I thought about how much this day would mean to Blake in the future. He had sworn to me up and down that he'd never take a life. "You gonna be okay, Blake?"

"I'll be fine Mags." He paused "Have fun watching the game by yourself…" I could tell he was still unhappy, so I decided to make the moment more lighthearted by laughing, "Don't worry! I will indeed. Bye. Call Gordon!"

"I will, bye."

The phone beeped as he hung up the call. "Well shit!" I sighed falling onto the couch cushion. "At least he's okay…" I rubbed my forehead with a groan and then suddenly remembered how much I needed to pee.

* * *

(John Blake)

The phone rang once. Then twice. Three times. Four. And then went straight to voice mail. I rolled my eyes as his answering message spoke through the speaker. I walked back to my car trying hard to forget about the bodies as I left a message on the voicemail system. "Commissioner, it's Blake. I got two dead witnesses and a lot of questions. Call me whenev-"

Something caught my eye, which led me to stop and look at the barrels lined against the wall. "Wait a minute." I ran to the area, still with the phone placed to my cheek.

The bright orange label wasn't hard to miss, but what made my observation complete was the defined stick-person being exploded on the warning. "I'm looking at four barrels of polyisobutylene…" My voice was questionable as I read the chemical labeled.

My eye then caught onto the next couple of containers alongside the wall as well. Except these were blackened. "And that looks like motor oil right next to it…Jesus, they're not making cement! They're making explosives!"

Hanging up the phone, I ran to my car and picked up the map I had X'd out with Daggetts construction file I researched. The discovery caused a horrible pit in the bottom of my stomach. Turning the keys into the gear, I drove out of the area like a mad-man while not forgetting to turn on my secret police lights and sirens of my car.

"Patch me into Foley!" I demanded into the Dispatch.

_"Foley's overseeing the operation." _The voice Maggie hated responded. At this current moment, I hated that voice as well. "They're heading into a trap!" I screamed.

_"What do you mean!?"_

"Just get me to Foley!"

The person I demanded to speak to for once in my life ordered through the other line. "Foley here!"

I wasted no time in responding, "It's a trap! Pull everyone out! Bane has been pouring concrete laced with explosives!"

"Where?"

"There's a ring around the tunnels! They'll blow it and trap the cops underground!" At this point, I was panicking. Not only were all of my friends down in those tunnels, but also the threat of the city was going to be at risk with these explosions. Turning my car down the opposite street, I headed for my apartment.

Maggie…

I had to get to her quickly and attempt to find the safest place for us to escape to.

But my route took for the worse.

* * *

(Margaret Robin)

Walking back into the living room, I noticed the TV featuring a young boy singing the National Anthem. He was quite good, and brave, I had to admit.

My singing ability only allowed me to perform in the shower, not to mention doing so to annoy Blake from time to time. Other than that, I had no desire to sing in front of other human beings whatsoever. The thought of singing in front of someone I didn't know made me absolutely sick.

Blake, on the other hand, was actually astounding at singing. He would often drag me to Karaoke bars when we were younger so that he could win money in their monthly singing contests. Although, I'm not sure if Blake won from his talent or his boy-toy charm, either way, he won every time.

The boy finished the song and the entire stadium erupted into applause. I even had to stop myself from clapping as well after being so caught up in the moment.

The announcer on the screen stated the usual stats of the player's injuries, the predications and calculations of the game, and then cut to the coin toss was performed.

_"Gotham is choosing to receive the ball!"_ The announcer stated after the Rogues won the toss. I clap my hands realizing this was a very good thing. Now, I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the most accurate person when it comes to watching this manly-man game of champions, but I had lived with Blake for 8 years and he taught me all I needed to know to understand the gist of it all.

Rapid City got into formation for the kickoff, while the boys in yellow and black did the same. I held in my hands, my Rouges yellow towel that was waved around before every kickoff. "GOOOOOOOOOOO!" I shouted to the inanimate TV screen.

The ball was kicked high into the air and number 86 caught it. He began to run clear through the middle opening that his team made a clear shot path for him to run through –

My beer toppled over and forced me to quickly attempt to place it back up to not soak the remote control. And then suddenly I felt the entire building rumble underneath my feet on the floor. "Wha the?!"

I felt my shoulder collide with the floor as a series of loud '**booms**' echoed outside of my window. Looking up from my position on the wooden floor, I was completely mortified watching the football game still being broadcasted on the TV.

The entire Rouge field was caving inwards. The players fell into the large chunks of the turf to the under caverns of the city while 86 continued to run unharmed and untouched to the goal line.

_"Jim!? Just what the heck is-?" _The announcer from the booth screamed and then suddenly the picture cut to black.

"What the hell?!" I shakily stood to my feet and ran to the window looking out at the street from our third floor. I couldn't see much pass the smoke and floating debris. I concluded from my limited vision that the ground had not only exploded right underneath me but throughout the rest of the city as well.

* * *

(John Blake)

The sidewalk exploded in a matter of seconds while cracking my window. Then suddenly the passenger side exploded. The shockwaves that grumbled underneath my car sent the wheels into a swaying motion that only meant trouble lie ahead.

Pieces of debris, both from the concrete of the ground and items left on the streets, flew into the windshield and blocked my vision. Quickly, I engaged the wipers in the attempt that it would knock off the extra garbage but by the time the glass was visible it was already too late.

As the car took upon directing the wheels through the exploding shockwaves, it also forced the car to directly hit one explosion at the exact moment it detonated.

"SHIT!" I screamed seeing the orange fire explode against the glass. I followed my instincts by covering my head with my hands and allowing the wheel of the car to do as it pleased. Those brief seconds of being completely airborne defied the usual gravity in my seat but yet that moment of not feeling the seat cushion touch my body felt like forever.

The car tumbled on the driver side and I felt the slam of the weight of the world hit my side and then quickly it shifted to above my head. Before I had time to value the pain from the top portion of my body colliding with the roof of the vehicle, my car flipped right back to its normal position.

"Gah… ah…" I groaned trying to get the feeling of being right side up back into my consciousness. So far, everything in my body seemed to be okay. I checked my legs for any sign of damage and then my stomach and shoulders. Looking at my rearview mirror for any wounds on my head, I became relieved not seeing any.

My entire body was shaking violently. No matter how hard they had trained me in the academy for all that time, nothing could be compared to that actual moment when pretend becomes real.

I gasped once again trying to ignore my headache and need to vomit. While closing my eyes, I reminded myself to breathe in through my nostrils and out from my mouth.

When I felt calibrated enough to open my eyes, I reached for my radio on the dashboard. "Foley?!" As much as I hated this bastard, it was imperative to make sure he was safe.

The other line was fuzzy at first, but I could make out his words. "Jesus, Blake! Every cop in the city is down in those tunnels!"

My thumb rested carefully along the side button used to speak into and as much as I wanted to apologize for my mistake, a part of me knew this is what Bane had been planning all along. He told this to Maggie… and even Gordon knew-

Gordon!

My thumb quickly pressed the button and I furiously stated into the microphone, "Not every cop." Throwing down the radio, I unbuckled my seat belt while reaching for my shotgun in the back seat of the car.

Forcing all of my weight, I attempted to open the caved-in door. It opened after the fourth push and I stumbled onto my feet after escaping the vehicle's clutches.

From my location, I was about three miles away from Gotham General Hospital. I wasn't fast enough to run at the current moment – the rubble streets nor my shaking feet would allow me. Quickly examining the area, I noticed a blue sedan stopped just ahead of my location.

Placing the gun down, I reached for my badge inside my coat jacket and revealed it to the traumatized man alone in the driver's side. "Sir, are you okay?!" I asked tapping on the glass. The man looked to me frightened at the possibility I may hurt him. My hand rose to his eye-level to introduce my mercy, "I'm a police officer and I need your car right now!"

The man nodded quickly and then unbuckled himself from the car. Opening the door for him, I held a hand out to the shaken man. "Please, what should I do?" He asked as the two of us traded places.

"Get somewhere safe! Don't be out on the streets, I don't know if another attack will happen." I closed the door while placing my shotgun in the passenger side carefully. "Thank you!" I nodded and then shifted the car into drive.

* * *

(Margaret Robin)

Looking back at the TV, I raced back to the countertop with my puddle of beer in the middle while grasping the remote in my hand. Flipping through the channels frantically, I searched until I found CNN complete with the live coverage of the football game.

_"There seems to be a group of people walking out from the North tunnel." _One of the reporters announced as the camera zoomed in on the group. My eyes went wide staring at the familiarity of the bunch. _"Oh my god… that man is the size of a mountain!"_

The remote dropped from my hands as I stood there in complete awestruck. "It…it can't be…" I muttered as I watched Bane rip off the headset of one of the officials.

_"Gotham! Take control."_ Bane's voice rang through the stadium and on my television. "_Take control of your city. This…" _ He pointed with his massive hand back to the tunnel as a new group of men walked through. The camera zoomed in on a strange large metal ball. "_This is the instrument of your liberation."_

The immense of this item was so dominant that it had to be carried on a portable trolley. As soon as the men stopped walking with the trolley, another set of men walked from out of the tunnel dragging a man. Throwing him on his knees, the camera zoomed in even closer to admire this poor prisoner being taunted by Bane.

_"Identify yourself to the world." _ The masked man retaliated by placing the microphone to his lips.

_"I'm Dr. Leonid Pavel,"_ His voice was both breathless and nervous. _ "Nuclear physicist."_

_"And what…? What is this?" _Bane pointed his hand once again to the ball on the trolley. "_It's a… fully primed neutron bomb… with a blast radius of six miles." _The scientist replied just as nervous as before.

This is what he meant… when I came face to face with Bane the other day, this bomb is what he meant. "You will die with the rest of the city." Bane's words left my own mouth as I continued to watch the news broadcast.

"_And who is capable of disarming such a device?"_

Pavel shook his head slightly as if Bane should already know the answer. _"Only me."_

_"Only you…"_

I shook my own head realizing why Bane would introduce the fact Dr. Pavel was in their command. "No… no, no, no!"

"_Thank you, good doctor."_ Bane threw the headset to the side and then twisted Dr. Pavel's neck so that his head face his back.

Not only did the crowd scream in the background, but I found myself crying to the top of my lungs as my knees buckled to the floor. "No…" My fingernails dug into the sensitive skin on top of my head. "…no, no, no!"

_"Now, this bomb is armed! And this bomb is mobile! And the identity of the triggerman is a mystery."_ Bane continued his speech, but I listened from the floor not even daring to look up at the screen. _"For one of you holds the detonator!_"

That section of his speech, however, caused me to look up. With giant tears rolling down my cheeks, I trembled seeing a pointed finger of Bane on the screen.

"_Now, we come here not as conquerors, but as liberators, to return control of this city to the people. And at the first sign of interference from the outside world, or from those people attempting to flee, this anonymous Gothamite, this unsung hero… will trigger the bomb. For now, martial law is in effect. Return to your homes. Hold your families close, and wait. Tomorrow, you claim what is rightfully yours."_

Families… John!

Running towards my cell phone buried in the cushions of the couch, I found myself tossing the cushions off frantically in order to retrieve the device. I fumbled to find Blake's number and then pressed the call button.

The phone rang. Then again. Again. Once more… and then went to voicemail.

"Damnit!" I cursed and repeated the effect. The phone rang. Then again. Again. Once more… and then went to voicemail. "God fucking damit to hell! Pick up you son of a bitch!"

The phone rang. Then again. Again. Once more… and then went to voicemail…

"NO!" I slammed my phone on the countertop and proceeded to cry even harder. "NO! FUCKING SHIT TO HELL! FUCK!" I sobbed.

He was out there… out in the turmoil of the chaos once again threating Gotham. "Not if I can do something about it…"

* * *

(John Blake)

From the looks of the streets, every single block had been hit by these blasts. Bane must have specifically made sure of this factor. People crowded the streets nervously, which only led to aggravate me even more.

Now, I've lived in Gotham all my life, and out of the 24 years I've lived here I don't think I've ever honked the horn of a car as much as I did driving down that street. Nonetheless, I just got a car recently after being a police officer… but still. People were everywhere and it was honestly a miracle I hadn't hit anyone yet.

Whenever I visited Gotham General, I always made sure to avoid the patient loading deck in the even that someone with a serious injury would need to be taken into the hospital. This time, however, I parked the car in the turnabout and ran from its confinement with my shotgun carefully clutched in my hands.

The usual nurses and doctors were inside the building as always, but this time the look of complete horror and panic filled each one of their faces. Most were hiding in the corners of the room or on the ground with their hands on top of their heads.

"They went that way!" The nurse with the baby blue scrubs pointed in the direction I usually took towards Gordon's room. I nodded quickly and continued to hold my riffle in my hand as I ran.

I had to be quick and on my toes, I thought to myself after pushing aside one of the doors with my shoulder. I made sure to quickly glance behind me to make sure no one was following.

Three sets of gunfire caught my attention. Running forward with so much speed I didn't even know I had must have come from the adrenaline of the whole situation.

I made sure to hold the mouth of the gun to the door before kicking open Gordon's room. The sight inside threw me off guard for a moment as I attempted to see the faces of the three men lying on the ground.

Then a click near my right ear forced me to straighten. It was the sound of a handgun– "Clear the corners, rookie."

Looking behind my back, Gordon released the gun from my head. We made a brief moment of eye contact that informed me that Gordon had been the one who made those shots just before.

"Get my coat, son." He nodded before walking out of the threshold of the doorway. "We've got a situation on our hands."

Rolling my eyes, Gordon didn't see my sarcastic reaction since my back was turned to pick his brown jacket into my hands. "Well you're not wrong about that."


End file.
